The Protector Diaries
by Jyuoa
Summary: When Maria moves to Mystic Falls, she decides to help the group with her unique abilities. Part witch, part vampire, she finds it easy to be around them. Will it be enough, though, when she discovers that Katherine and her past are after them? S1&2, D/OC
1. Prologue

Dear Diary,

It's been so long since I've been home. I know there are risks and I probably shouldn't be here, but I was bound to my promise from many years ago. When I heard about the strange things happening in Mystic Falls, I knew I shouldn't have returned. But I still have a job to do here. I know a lot has changed over the years, but there are innocent people in danger. They're probably in danger as well. I know I have to help, but I'm not sure what to do or what may happen. I am not like the others of my kind and I fear the worst may come from either or both sides. Will the others like me accept me for my unique abilities? Or would they consider me an abomination of nature?

I know there are supernaturals around here, I can just tell. It's everywhere, and if evil gets the upper hand, everyone will be in danger. I have to find them again. Knowing that I'll have their help, knowing that I may see him, gives me the sense that I'll be able to help fight these forces and protect the innocent-whether they are human, vampire, witch, or any other supernatural creature that may be out there.

A girl put her pen down and closed her book. She looked at her surroundings. There were some trees, many small homes that lined her path. She noticed a cemetery, but walked past without looking at it. Not wanting to get off to a late start, she placed her diary inside her bag and started walked into the forest until she was sure no one would follow.


	2. Old Friends, Old Trouble

A girl had been walking through the forest, when she came across a somewhat familiar-looking building. She stared up at the Boarding House, and after a few seconds, she walked off. She knew she was in the right place. She continued walking around, observing some of the changes. Suddenly, something flew right past her. By now she was terrified and broke into a run.

She found herself in front of someone's home. That's when she saw them. She looked through a window and saw Stefan Salvatore talking to…Katherine? No, that was impossible. This girl was different, more humane than Katherine was, even if she did look like her. They had stepped onto the front porch.

"Thanks for coming by." Elena said. "It was nice."

"Hey, you needed me. It's what I'm here for." Stefan told her. He kissed her gently, then started to walk off when…

"Stefan?" They both turned around. The girl was standing there. She was wearing jeans, a dark blazer, and a blue shirt. Her long brown hair was up in a ponytail.

The vampire looked at her hard. "Maria?"

"You know her?" Elena asked.

"We used to talk." Stefan said. "But I didn't know she was…"

"It's a very long story that I don't feel like explaining right now." Maria told them. She was looking at Elena.

"It's nice to meet you." Elena said, shaking her hand. "I'm Elena."

"Nice to meet you, too." Maria turned back to Stefan. "So, I'm guessing your brother's somewhere around here?"

"Yeah, he's hard to ignore." Stefan told her. Maria laughed.

"So, you're…" Elena began to say.

"I'm a little more unique than the others." Maria told her.

"Where are you staying?" Stefan asked.

"Actually, I just got here." Maria said. "I found a temporary place near the edge of town."

"Will you be okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yes." Maria said. She pulled her jacket closer to her. "Oh, you might want to be careful." She said to Elena. "The other vampires could easily mistake you for her."

"I'm aware." Elena told her. She meant it as a statement, but it came out harsher than she'd intended.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Maria told her. "I'll be going now." She walked away and headed into an abandoned building that she knew was hidden near the edge of town.

As soon as she headed inside, she could tell someone else was there. "Well, long time no see." She said, noticing another girl standing front of her.

"Someone had to stay and watch the town. Interesting to see the Salvatore brothers are here, too."

"Why are you here?" Maria asked.

"Oh, Miss Mary, don't start. I just need to find someone." The other girl said. Maria turned to go, but the girl sped in front of her. "Where do you plan on going?" Maria hesitated. "I'm sure she would want you to help us."

"Forget it. What happened in the past can stay in the past." Maria told her. "I'm only planning on staying for the night anyway."

"You know, you can stay as long as you want." The girl pointed out. "But you would make a good ally in my plan."

"I swear, if you harm anyone in this town, I'll stake you myself." Maria said. "Are we clear, Annabelle?"

"Since when did you become such a killjoy?" Anna asked.

"Since my ancestors called me here." Maria shot back. "Good night." She headed into a bedroom and closed the door on her.

Dear Diary,

I just got back and I can already tell, there's going to be trouble.


	3. Past Meets Present

When Maria woke up the next morning, she felt like she was going to be sick. "Morning." Anna said, walking into the room.

"Please tell me you didn't drug me while I was asleep." Maria said.

"You're immunity would've cured it, anyway." Anna pointed out. "But I wouldn't have done that."

"I'll be right back." Maria got up, slowly, and went into the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face. She looked at her reflection. She appeared to be normal, but had a feeling it wasn't going to last for long.

"You okay in there?" Anna asked.

"Not really." Maria admitted. She walked out, feeling more awful than she looked. "Though I'm surprised you care."

"Why is it a surprise that I should be concerned?" Anna asked.

"Because I can tell you have dark intentions and will do anything it takes to fulfill your goals." Maria explained. "No matter who you use, they are just a tool to you."

"Mary…" Anna looked surprised. "I'm not exactly happy about what I have to do, but I need to save her."

"I understand that. But you need to understand that's why I can't help you." Maria told her. Anna began to transform. In a second she was on top of her. Maria quickly jammed a needle with a liquid inside into her arm. Anna passed out and collapsed onto the ground.

"I warned you not to start with me." Maria said. She walked out of the room.

She headed back into town, but ended up pausing in front of the Boarding House. She had no idea why she ended up there, but it was as if her instincts had taken over. "Man, what am I doing? I should be getting to…" All of a sudden, she felt a slight chill. Maria turned around, but there was no one there. She walked into the house.

She looked around for a little while. "I guess it's been a while since this place was renovated." She looked at the living room. She continued walking and headed upstairs. Suddenly, she heard a sound and moved into the shadows.

"Whoever's in here, I know you're there." Maria put her hand to her mouth to keep herself from gasping. She recognized the voice, but hadn't heard it in years. "You have ten seconds to show yourself before I stake you." She heard footsteps moving away from her and she headed downstairs. It wasn't until she was halfway down, when she looked up and saw him.

"Damon." She said. He looked down and saw her. He walked downstairs so that he was standing next to her.

"You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"I'm an old friend of Stefan." Maria told him. She figured the rest would come with time.

"If you're looking for him, he left for school." Damon told her. Maria tried to keep herself from laughing.

"A guy like him going to school?" Maria asked. "Wow. I guess Mystic Falls hasn't changed that much."

"Why are you here?"

"I…don't know." Maria explained. "All I know is that I had to come back here. It's too complicated to explain."

"Guess we'll be seeing you around often then." Damon told her. She smiled and headed for the door.

"Oh, Sorry about…" Maria began.

"Don't worry about it, it happens." Damon told her. He watched as she walked out. There was something familiar about her, but he didn't know what.

At school, Bonnie caught up to Elena in the hall. "Hey, Elena!"

"Oh, hi Bonnie." Elena said. "I'm really glad you're here." The two sat down outside. Elena had explained what happened the previous night.

"You think she's another one of Stefan's exes?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know. But she doesn't seem like she's a bad person." Elena told her.

"Hey, guys!" Caroline came over and sat with them. "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing." Elena said.

"Why do I have a feeling like you're hiding something?" Caroline asked.

"Caroline…" Bonnie began.

"Look, I just have a lot going on right now." Elena told her. "It's hard to keep everything straight."

"I see." Caroline said.

"Elena, did the new girl have long, brown hair?" Bonnie asked.

"I think so, why?"

"Because I think she's walking this way." Elena turned around. Sure enough, Maria was walking toward them.

"What is she doing here?"

"I invited her to come have lunch with us." Caroline said. The girls turned to stare at her. "What? She's new and doesn't have many friends. I want to make her feel comfortable."

"Hey." Maria said, sitting next to Caroline.

"So, Maria, where are you from?" Caroline asked, trying to break the tension in the group.

"That's…complicated. I have trouble remembering certain things." Maria explained. "I wish I could tell you where I came from, but I just…"

"It's okay." Bonnie reassured her.

"Do you have any relatives or siblings?" Elena asked.

"No. It's just been me for so long." Maria said. "I was brought up by my aunt for a few years. It wasn't long before she died."

In the hall, Maria nearly dropped her backpack. "You okay?" Bonnie asked.

"I just don't feel right being here." Maria said. "It feels like I shouldn't have come."

"Maria, look." Bonnie said. "I know it's hard being different. My Grams keeps pushing me to accept me for who I am."

"And do you?" Maria asked. She got a slight vibe when she got near her. Bonnie seemed to feel it, too.

"At first, I didn't." Bonnie admitted. "But I'm a little more accepting of it now. I have a few friends that can support me on this."

"I'll see you around, then." Maria said. She walked down the hall. Elena came over and noticed Bonnie staring after her.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"I just got a weird, déjà vu feeling near her." Bonnie said. "It usually only happens when I'm near…" She cut off, afraid of what it might mean.

"I wonder why she's here." Elena said.

"I wouldn't worry about it much." Stefan told her, joining the group. Elena nearly jumped in surprise.

"I'll see you later, Elena." Bonnie told her. She headed off for her next class, leaving them alone.

"You scared me."

"Sorry about that. Anyway, Maria's one of the good ones. You can trust her." Stefan explained.

After school, Maria was trying to figure out what to do next. "Hey, how did things go last night?" Stefan asked.

"They went downhill when my unexpected roommate came after me." Maria said. "I can't go back there again."

"You know you could always come to the Boarding House." Stefan told her. "So, Elena told me about what happened at lunch."

"I can't answer everything about my past." Maria explained. "Not like I remember anyway."

"It's okay. That's one of the hardest parts about this." Stefan pointed out. "I have trouble remembering sometimes. If I had the chance to be normal again…"

"I know." Maria said. "So would I."

Elena put her diary down and stopped writing. She was trying to get over how weird everything was lately. The doorbell rang. Elena went to answer it. She nearly panicked when she saw Maria.

"I know I have no right to be here." Maria told her. "But I needed to talk to you."

"Why are you here?" Elena asked. "And why do you keep showing up?"

"There's no reason for you to be afraid of me." Maria said. "I came here to help." Elena backed away a few feet. She looked back and saw Jenna approaching.

"Okay, come in. If anyone asks, we're studying." Elena told her.

"Who's this?" Jenna asked.

"Just a friend from school." Elena told her. "Maria, this is my Aunt, Jenna."

"Nice to meet you, Maria." Jenna said. She shook her hand.

"You, too." Maria said.

"We're going to be upstairs, studying." Elena told her. "Come on." The girls headed upstairs toward Elena's room. Maria almost walked into someone else.

"Sorry." Maria said.

"It's okay. You didn't see where you were going." The guy pointed out. "Then again, I didn't see you, either."

"Okay." Maria had no idea how to respond.

"Maria, this is my brother, Jeremy." Elena said. "Where were you headed anyway?"

"To the library. I still have that report to finish." Jeremy told her. He walked downstairs. The girls walked into Elena's room.

"What's up with him?" Maria asked.

"It's a very long and complicated story." Elena said. "Anyway, you said that you came here to help?"

"Look, I don't want to scare you." Maria said. "But you need to know the truth. There are dark forces that keep coming into and close to Mystic Falls."

"Those reports have been coming up lately." Elena realized.

"You know how some vampires can be unforgiving and relentless, right?" Maria asked. "They're not the only ones."

"What does this have to do with me?" Elena asked. She already didn't like where this was going.

"I worry that because you're Katherine's doppelganger, you could be in danger, Elena." Maria said. Elena sat down on her bed. "I know it's a lot to take in. I don't mean to freak you out like this…"

"I understand." Elena said. "But I've learned a few things from Stefan. I can protect myself, sort of." She decided to change the subject. "How do you know Stefan, anyway?"

"I was friends with Lexi. I met her after they left town. I was surprised when she told me they were still alive." Maria said. "She also tried to set us up, but it didn't end well. One time we all went to concert together."

"How long have you known about Stefan and Damon?" Elena asked.

"I knew Stefan before he was turned." Maria admitted. "He was kind of like a brother to me. Of course, I had to be careful cause of Katherine." Elena almost laughed at this.

"And Damon?"

"I used to watch him from afar." Maria admitted. "He was very strong and honorable at the time."

"Well, that certainly would be an improvement over the way he is now." Elena said.

"He can't possibly be as bad as you think." Maria told her. Elena looked at her in confusion. Maria turned and looked out the window.

"So, you never really spoke to him?"

"We had an encounter once." Maria admitted. "I'm sure he wouldn't remember, though."

"You know, you're not like the others." Elena said. "Most vampires would try to kill me because of my resemblance to Katherine."

"I know you're not Katherine." Maria said. "You're light is more pure than hers ever was. I sensed that about you the minute I first saw you."

"How can you…" Elena was cut off by the door opening. Bonnie came inside.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think I left my math book here by mistake." She noticed Maria. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I was about to leave." Maria said. "I'll see you both at school."

"Maria." She turned when Elena called her name. "Thanks for clearing things up."

"I didn't want you to think I was moving in on your boyfriend." Maria said.

"There it is." Bonnie tried to get the book.

"Bonnie, be careful!" Suddenly, a few books started to fall off the shelf. Maria turned around. The books started floating. "What's going on?" Elena asked.

"I'm not doing this." Bonnie told her. The books were placed back on the shelf. The girls turned and saw Maria put her arms down. She gave them a worried look. "What are you?" Bonnie asked. Elena stared at her in surprise. Maria looked down. Her secret was out now.


	4. Impossible, But True

Maria opened the door to the Boarding House. "Thanks for coming." She said as Bonnie entered.

"Well, you did say it was important." Bonnie pointed out. Elena and the guys were already in the living room. "What is he doing here?"

"I live here, too, in case you forgot." Damon pointed out.

"Look, you all deserve to know the truth." Maria said. "And it's better to tell you all at once, so if you two could not kill each other for five minutes…" She took a deep breath. "You all might want to sit down for this."

Bonnie reluctantly sat with the group, near Damon. Elena was sitting between the guys. "So, Elena said that you could levitate objects. Is that true?" Stefan asked. Maria nodded. A notebook that had been sitting on the table started hovering in front of them. It set itself back down on the table.

"Okay, I'm confused." Elena said. "Are you a vampire or a witch?"

"I'm both." Maria said. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "Crazy as it sounds, it's the truth."

"How is that even possible?" Bonnie asked. Maria turned away from the group, but managed to keep speaking.

"It was during 1864." Maria told them. "I had some kind of illness that was killing me. The doctors said there was no way I'd make it. I was afraid to die. Emily turned to Katherine for help." She remembered only parts of what happened.

Back in 1864, a girl was resting in bed. "I'm afraid she may not have much longer." Emily said. Katherine walked over to the girl.

"Is this her?" Katherine looked at her. She seemed to be concerned.

"Please, if you can help her…" Emily told her. "We cannot lose her now." Katherine turned back to the girl. She could tell she was fading fast. Katherine bit her wrist and gave her blood to her.

Much later, Emily returned to the room when she was still sleeping. As she began to leave, the girl stirred and woke. "Am I going to make it?" The girl asked. Emily turned and walked to her.

"You're going to be okay, now, child." Emily told her. "I promise." She hugged her.

Back in the Salvatore's living room, Maria was still facing away from them. "After I was released, something came after me in the woods and I was forced to make the change. I didn't realize what had happened until a few years later. I left before they started rounding up the vampires." She finally turned back to the group.

"You knew my ancestor Emily?" Bonnie asked.

"Who do you think taught me the basics?" Maria told her.

"It figures." Damon said. "That old woman would pass it on to some weak newbie."

"Hey! Aunt Emily was the nicest and kindest witch I've ever known." Maria defended.

"Wait, Aunt Emily?" Bonnie asked. "Does that mean…"

"Yes." Maria said, looking at the floor. She looked up to Bonnie. "I'm her niece." Bonnie got up and embraced her.

"I'm just glad to know Grams and I aren't the only ones." Bonnie told her.

Maria pulled away after a while. She seemed a little upset. "Recently, Emily contacted me in my dreams. She told me to return here, because there would be many in danger if I didn't. And I'm here now."

"You came here to help us?" Elena asked. "Right?"

"Of course." Maria said. "She said that I couldn't do it alone. That I had to find you guys."

"Do you have any limitations?" Stefan asked.

"Of course." Maria said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I was just afraid if anyone knew I was a blend of two supernatural beings, they'd kill me."

"Your secret's safe with us." Elena told her.

"I'll tell you more about it later." Maria explained. "If I give away everything now, who knows who might come after me?" She glared at Damon as she said this last part.

"We won't let anything happen to you." Bonnie said.

"I'll be right back." Maria told them. She walked out of the room and went upstairs. When she got into the room with her belongings, she felt she wasn't alone. "I figured you'd follow me up here."

"It looks like everyone else trusts you. It's too bad I don't." Damon told her. "I don't even believe you are a hybrid."

"Look, if you give me a chance to prove myself somehow…" Maria didn't finish because the next thing she knew, Damon had her pinned down to the floor.

"I usually don't hit women, but I'll make an exception in this case." He told her. She pushed him off forcefully, and sent him flying toward the wall. She sped out of the room and into a small room that Zach used to occupy downstairs.

After a few minutes, Damon found her. "Do you believe me now?" Maria asked. She took a deep breath.

"How do I know you won't blow our cover?"

"Because I'm a vampire like you. Is that so hard to believe?" Maria pointed out.

In the living room, the others were waiting. "Are you sure she's okay?"

"Well, she's usually pretty cheerful, but for some reason, she seems kind of down." Stefan told her. "I think she's still adjusting."

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, she is Stefan's friend." Elena said. "And it doesn't look like she wants to hurt anyone."

"She always was the peaceful type. Just like Lexi was." Stefan explained. Suddenly, there was a loud bang. The group got to their feet and raced into the room Maria and Damon were in.

"What in the…" Bonnie began. It was weird. Maria was on her feet, Damon was lying down on the floor, and there were feathers floating down around the room as though it were snow in the winter.

"What the heck happened?" Stefan asked.

"Your brother tried to come at me, I grabbed a pillow and put it in front of me, the next thing I know, the spell went wrong." Maria said, very fast.

"Oh my god." Elena got over to them. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Maria said. "Though we really need to talk some sense into him." Damon got up. "Look, I get that you don't trust me. But let's not get physical next time."

"Fine. Got it." Damon said. "I'm outta here." He left the room, leaving the others.

"Man, he's got issues." Maria said.

"We know." Elena told her. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

Back in the living room, the group sat by her. "We should be getting home soon." Bonnie said. "But I'm glad you're here. I can tell you're on our side."

"Spoken like a true young witch." Maria said. "I'll see you at school, okay?"

"Are you sure you'll be okay here?" Elena asked. "You know, with Damon…"

"I can handle myself if he tries again." Maria pointed out. "Besides, he's just being defensive." Elena looked at her. "Besides, I heal really fast."

"Just be careful, okay?" Elena told her. "He could kill you if he wanted to."

"As long as I have my room under a barrier, he won't." Maria told her.

"See you tomorrow." Elena said.

"You're going to see him again, aren't you?" Stefan asked as soon as Elena walked out.

"Yeah. I kind of feel bad about it." Maria said.

"Just be careful, okay?" Stefan said. "You know, there were times when I've wanted to kill him, but…"

"He isn't as bad as you think, Stefan." Maria explained. "Besides, I'm always careful." She headed upstairs and found Damon in the hallway.

"We really have to stop meeting like this." Damon said. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I wanted to apologize for earlier." Maria told him. "I overreacted. I always overreact when I freak out."

"Can't you just flip the switch?" Damon asked. Maria turned away from him. "Oh. I see."

"I was born a witch and witches need to stay in tune with nature and their emotions." Maria explained. "I don't have a switch."

"Oh. That sucks."

"I know."

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm going to give you a chance." Damon said as she started walking away. She turned. "If you blow it, you're dead. Are we clear?"

She nodded. "I got it. If I mess up, I'm out." Maria said. "Good night." She walked off.

Dear Diary,

I don't know what to think. I always knew this was going to be a tough one. I just didn't know how bad it would be when I first got here.

Maria stopped writing, put her diary on the nightstand and went to sleep. She couldn't write anymore, not with everything about to happen around her.


	5. 50s Night

"And that is why I can't stand him." Bonnie finished. She was bringing Maria up to speed on to what had happened recently. The girls were sitting in the Mystic Grill.

"So, my Aunt actually possessed you?" Maria asked.

"Wasn't exactly my idea of fun." Bonnie said.

"I guess he still thought Emily was in control."

"Elena told me about most of the things that happened." Bonnie admitted. "But I still get worried sometimes. We didn't used to believe all this weird supernatural stuff."

"I know. It's scary." Maria said. "I was a little scared at first too."

"But, you're different from the others." Bonnie pointed out.

"There aren't many differences. Of course, the whole thing with supernatural beings hating each other is what I don't understand at all." Maria said.

"You should've been there the day I fell into the tomb." Bonnie told her. "My powers were blocked and I couldn't stop panicking."

"You don't need to be scared. If they do get out, of course it'll be a problem, but we can start fires to take care of them." Maria pointed out. "Anyway, Elena told me that Stefan helped you get out."

"I don't know how Elena deals with all this." Bonnie said.

"She's totally a fighter." Maria said. They laughed. Maria got up. "I should get going. I still have some stuff to unpack."

"Are you going to the dance tonight?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. I have a feeling I that I'll be needed there." Maria said. She started to walk off, when she stopped and turned to her. "You know, you're much stronger than you think, Bonnie." She walked out of the Grill and nearly crashed into something.

"Sorry." The guy said.

"It's okay." Maria told him. She felt something dark about him and she knew he was a vampire. Then the answer hit her. "Goodbye." She walked off until he was out of eyesight, then she sped into the woods as a shortcut.

Once she got upstairs, she laid down on the bed in her room. She thought that if her heart was beating (if it could), it would explode. "Long day?" She buried her head in her pillow.

"Go away, Damon." She said. "I can't do this right now."

"Too bad." Damon stepped into the room and Maria cursed herself for forgetting to put the barrier back up. "I saw you were getting close with the witch."

"She's still a beginner, so I'm trying to help her." Maria said. Damon sat down next to her. "Get any closer and I'll give you a headache."

"Try me." Suddenly, he felt a slight jolt of pain. He put his hand up to his forehead.

"I did try to warn you." Maria pointed out, stopping the spell. She sat up, feeling a little less wiped out than she did earlier. Damon reached out to touch her. Maria stood up and backed away.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He told her. "Just hold still." He walked over to her. Maria closed her eyes. He reached over and pulled a feather out of her hair. Maria looked at it in his hand, feeling startled and embarrassed. "Must've been from our little pillow fight yesterday."

Maria smiled briefly, then she went into shock and turned around. "Oh, my God. Not now."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Maria said. "Do me a favor, get one of those needles out of my bag. Front pocket." Damon found it and handed it to her.

"Okay, you mind telling me what…" Maria turned around. Her usual blue eyes had turned black. He looked surprised. She took the needle and jabbed it into her arm. She took a breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were normal again.

"Uh, thanks." Maria said.

"I'm going to check on Stefan." Damon stepped out of the room. Maria could tell that was just an excuse for him to leave the room. She felt relieved, but angry at the same time.

"Why did that have to happen just now?" Maria's fist made contact with the wall. It left a small dent, but no permanent damage.

"Everything okay in here?" She jumped, startled, but relaxed when she saw it was the other brother standing there.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Maria said. "For some reason, I started to change. I hate this sometimes."

"We all do. I'm still getting used to it. Especially now that…"

"I know, but Damon saw me. It felt embarrassing." Maria said. "I'm good now, though still a little embarrassed."

"You know, Lexi would say it would be nothing to be afraid of." Stefan told her.

"That sounds like her, alright. The eternal optimist." Maria laughed. "See you tonight, then?"

"You're going?"

"Well, I have to blend in around here. Also, I feel like something's going to happen." Maria admitted. "Just don't tell Elena yet. I don't want to freak her out."

"It's a bit late for that." Stefan explained. "Ever since this mystery guy she hit appeared, he's been threatening her."

"We'll be able to stop him. There's strength in numbers." Maria said, reassuring him.

"Just watch yourself. We don't need a public fight."

"Relax, I've been around as long as you guys. I know how to lay low." Stefan left the room. Maria sat down for a few minutes, then got up and went to the closet.

That night, she walked into the gym. "Wow. Maria, is that you?" Caroline asked. Maria was wearing a white blouse with a pink poodle skirt. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing a small scarf around her neck.

"Nice to see you too, Care." Maria said.

"Where'd you find that outfit on such short notice?"

"My grandmother keeps some things from the decades." Maria told her.

"Hey, Maria." Bonnie said.

"You two look great."

"Thanks." Caroline said. "It was a total pain getting my hair to look like this, though." The girls laughed. Maria looked around and saw the last person she expected to see at a school dance.

"I'll see you around." Maria said. She walked over to Anna, who was talking to Elena's brother.

"I have to go." She told him. Maria tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh."

"Dragging more people down with you?" Maria asked.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, but there's something you have to know." Anna told her. "One of my partners is after Elena."

"The same guy who called her on the phone and threatened her? The same guy who she hit with her car?" Maria asked.

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he just won't listen." Anna explained. "You're the only person that I've seen that can stop him."

Maria looked at her. She seemed scared and alone. And she was telling the truth this time. "Don't think this means that I'm going to help you rescue Pearl." Maria told her. "But I'll still help with the partner-gone-wrong."

"I really do have to go now. I'm meeting with a friend." Anna told her. Maria looked at her like she was nuts. "Don't worry, this one isn't a threat to her." Maria relaxed. "At least, not yet."

"I hope not ever." Maria said. When she turned back, Anna was gone.

"Hey, you know her?" She turned around again. Jeremy was behind her.

"She's an old friend." Maria said. "One that I was hoping not to see around here."

"Something happen?"

"Personal issues." Maria told him. She glanced around the room and noticed that Elena, Stefan, and Damon had finally shown up. She started to walk toward them.

"Hey." Jeremy said. She turned back to face him. "Whatever it is with you two, I hope you work it out."

"Thanks." Maria said. She walked away from him.

"Elena... Would you like to dance?" Damon asked.

"I would love to." She turned to Stefan. "May I have is dance?" The two headed out together.

"You totally got burned." Maria said. Damon turned and saw her.

"Wow. You look...different." Damon managed.

"Thanks. I've had it for a while. They always said the fifties would be coming back." Maria told him. She listened in on the others talking. From the look of it, Damon was also listening.

"Shouldn't you guys be able to sense each other or something?" Elena asked.

"No. It doesn't work that way. Though Maria might be able to, since she's not like the rest of us." Stefan pointed out.

"I'll be right back." Maria said. "I dropped my phone." She walked over to where she was speaking with Jeremy. "Hey."

"I think you dropped this in your hurry to leave." Jeremy said, holding up her cell phone.

"Thanks, I thought I lost it." Maria said. "Last time I forget to wear something with pockets."

"Depends on the decade I guess." Jeremy told her.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'll see you around." Maria told him. It was strange, there was no dark presence in the room. She would've felt it if there was someone there trying to threaten them. When she got back, she saw Damon talking with Mr. Saltzmen. The teacher walked away. "Okay, now that was seriously weird."

"You know that guy?"

"He's our history teacher." Maria told him. "You want to dance?"

"Well, I've been rejected twice. It can't get any worse." Damon said. Maria grabbed his hand and they walked to the dance floor. There was a slow song playing and it made her feel nervous. She was never any good at slow dancing. "Relax and follow my lead." He told her.

Maria nodded. She started to calm down a bit as he spun her out. As she came back in, her fear just disappeared. They continued to sway together. As the song ended, they looked at each other. "Wow." That was the only thing she could say.

Suddenly, she felt it. A cold, sharp vibration of dark energy. She turned to look in a different direction. "I have to go." Maria said.

"Is something wrong?" Damon asked.

"No, but I need you to trust me on this." Maria told him. She closed her eyes and focused. She opened them again.

"Look, if you need help…"

"I said I didn't, okay?" Maria said. It came out really harsh. "Sorry, just, give me a little space, Damon. I can handle myself."

"Alright, I get it. Just make sure nothing happens to your grandmother's outfit." He said as he left. "It's an antique, from what I've heard." Maria stormed off in frustration. She looked around and went into the hallway. She heard Elena talking on her cell phone.

Elena ran into the hall. Maria followed her from a short distance. A half-second later, she sped into the cafeteria and hid. She saw Elena defend herself by stabbing him in the hand with a pencil. While he was in pain, she grabbed a mop and broke the handle.

"Hey!" The attacker turned around and Maria wacked him in the head with a two-by-four. He fell to the ground. "That won't keep him down long. You okay?"

Elena nodded. "Thanks for that." She said. The guy was getting back up. Elena tried to attack with the mop handle, but he caught it. She screamed. Suddenly, Maria heard someone run into the room. The guy hit Maria with another pencil. She winced in pain and pulled it out of her wrist.

"Hey, dickhead." Maria looked up to see Damon and Stefan. The guy had been stabbed with the mop handle. "Nobody wants to kill you. Just wanna talk."

"Now you feel like talking?" Stefan asked.

"Screw you." The guy said. Stefan twisted it. Maria winced as she heard him yell in pain. It was a little scary seeing him like this.

"Wrong answer." Stefan said. "Why are you doing this?"

"Cause it's fun." Maria rolled her eyes. Anna was right. The guy wasn't the type to listen.

"What do you want with Elena?" Stefan continued.

"She looks like Katherine." The guy told her. That surprised everyone in the room.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked.

"He just said he did." Maria pointed out. She walked over to Elena.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones? You don't even remember me." The guy said.

"No one wants to remember you." Maria told him.

"Tell me how to get in the tomb." Damon said. Maria looked at him and realized it.

"No." The guy said. Stefan inflicted even more pain. "The grimoire."

"Where is it?"

"Check the journal." The guy told him. "Jonathan Gilbert's."

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked.

"Who else is there?" Damon added. Maria kept quiet. She knew they'd figure it out on their own, but wanted no association with Anna whatsoever.

"No. You're gonna have to kill me." The guy said. Maria turned away as they took his words literally.

"He shouldn't have said that."

"You okay?" Elena asked. "How's your wrist?" She showed it to Elena. It had healed.

"It still stings a little, though." She took off her scarf and tied it around as a make-shift bandage.

"How are you gonna find the others now?" Elena asked, turning her attention to the Salvatore brothers.

"He had to die." Damon said.

"Finally. Something we agree on." Maria added.

"Thanks for trying to help." Elena told her. "Sorry you got injured."

"It's no big deal. I heal fast, remember?" Maria said. "Besides, I'm pretty good when it comes to handling things like this."

"At least you don't need to worry about him anymore." Stefan said.

"I'll see you guys at home." Maria said. She walked out of the room.

At the Boarding House, Maria was upstairs. She was trying not to think about everything she heard earlier. She walked over to her door and was surprised to see Damon standing there. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to apologize for acting like a dick." Damon said. "I never knew you had that kind of skill in you."

"Well, when you've lived long enough, you pick up a few tricks." Maria said. "You guys showed up just in time. I thought he would've killed both of us."

"Probably, but I'm glad he didn't." Damon told her. "I mean, since you are here to help out and all."

"I think I've earned that at least." Maria told him. He started to walk away when she spoke up. "So, is it true that if you find Katherine, you're leaving?"

"You heard about that?" Damon asked.

"I was passing in the hall when I heard the conversation." Maria explained.

"Well, it was kind of the reason I returned in the first place." Damon admitted. "But I don't know if I can trust anyone."

"You know you can trust me, though." Maria said. "I think my fight with that guy proved it."

"Yeah, you really showed him." Damon agreed.

"You'll still come back and visit, right?" Maria asked. "I won't be able to protect the others without help."

"I can't make any promises, but if I ever return to town, you'll know." Damon said, getting up and leaving the room. Maria looked out the window, wishing that things could be a whole lot easier around here. Then again, nothing was easy when she was dealing with the supernatural or relationships.


	6. Bonding with Witches

Dear Diary,

Things aren't going as well as I'd hoped. At least I've proved I could be a valuable ally to them. But knowing that Damon could be leaving is very disturbing. I know he's done a lot of things and hurt people, but for some reason, he could be one of the few of us that may actually be able to prevent this disaster. Maybe a night off with Bonnie would help, as Elena suggested. I have so much on my mind right now. If I don't do something to try and connect with my descendants, I'll probably lose it completely.

"How much further do we have to go?" Maria asked as she followed Bonnie. She straightened her bag.

"We're almost there." Bonnie told her. "Grams is probably still asleep."

"So, it skips a generation in your family?" Maria asked.

"It depends, I guess. Shouldn't you know that stuff?" Bonnie asked. "I mean, Stefan used to come by and visit his…" She struggled to find the right words. "Family throughout the years."

"With one exception." Maria pointed out. She sighed. "I did come back a few times, but only for a few days. But this one is an extended vacation."

"You okay?"

"I'm nervous." Maria told her. "About meeting her. I mean, witches usually don't accept people like me. Although most vampires don't either."

"Hey, it'll be fine." Bonnie told her reassuringly. "Look, I may not know much about this supernatural stuff, but as long as you've got all of us as your friends."

"Thanks." Maria said. "I can see why you and Elena are best friends." The two came to a stop outside Bonnie's house.

"Hopefully she won't go on about it all the time. It used to drive me nuts." Bonnie explained.

"Yeah, witches tend to try and guide their young family members. It was like that with my Aunt. I wish I knew why she called me here." Maria said. Bonnie unlocked the door. Maria followed inside. It wasn't until later Bonnie would realize something about this.

"It's still nice to have another one around." Bonnie told her. "But how do you remember everything? Since your so…" She paused. She was going to say old, but given that Maria looked like she was in her late teens or so, she froze.

"Not everything." Maria told her. "Witches have their spells. I was placed under one once. Since I came out of it, I only remember things that happened with my Aunt and a few of my friends."

"That's tough."

"I think it may have been Emily herself who put it on me." Maria said.

"So, you need to…" Bonnie was cut off.

"Is that you, Bonnie?" A voice said into the room. The girls turned and around.

"Hi, Grams." Bonnie said. She gave her a tight hug. "How'd you know we were here?"

"I thought I heard voices in the living room. I see you have a friend."

"Grams, this is Maria." Bonnie explained. "I asked her to spend the night with us, if that's okay?"

"Of course it is." Maria got a good look at her. Then she recognized her. She had been at the rally when she was speaking.

"It's an honor to meet you, ma'am." Maria said.

"Pleasure meeting you too, Maria." The woman shook her hand. Then a vibe passed between both of them. Maria looked turned to Bonnie. She saw that she was scared.

"Relax, I'll explain…" Bonnie started.

"Interesting." Bonnie's Grams spoke up. "How are you like this?"

"It was an accident." Maria told her, without looking at her. "But I can tell you I'm one of the good ones." Bonnie came over to her side.

"It's okay. She's one of Stefan's friends." Bonnie explained.

"Is she really one of us, though?" Grams asked her granddaughter. Maria stepped outside. She levitated a few leaves that were on the ground. They blew around her for a few seconds before falling to the ground.

"I'm more skilled as a witch than anything else." Maria said.

"I swear, she won't do anything to hurt us." Bonnie told her. "Besides, she's been helping me cope with this stuff."

"You are welcome here anytime then." Grams told her. She walked back into the house. Maria stepped back inside as well and was followed by Bonnie.

"I just realized something." Bonnie said as she and Maria sat down in the living room. "I didn't invite you in. How did you…"

"As long as it's the home of a current witch or where a group of them once resided, I can enter with no problems." Maria explained.

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Of course, it still helps to have permission to enter, because otherwise it'd just be rude." Maria told her. Bonnie laughed.

"So, any ideas of how we're going to stop them from getting in?" Bonnie asked.

"Actually, I don't want to get involved." Maria said. "I hate having to choose sides, especially when it comes to these kind of matters."

"I'm sorry. It must be especially hard when you're a mix of both." Bonnie said.

"I understand what I have to do and why I had to come to this town. But I don't know why Emily would contact me after all these years. It's tough coming back to your old home sometimes."

"I thought you were happier here, though." Bonnie pointed out.

"Well, in the past I was kind of an outsider." Maria said. She remembered her life back in the past.

Maria was outside in an orange dress. She was in a small yard, practicing her levitation. She managed to lift a single leaf without touching it. "I did it!"

"You're doing exceptionally well, Mary." She turned around and saw Emily.

"I couldn't have done it without your teachings, Aunt Emily." She told her. Emily looked at her. Maria could tell something was wrong. Emily was smiling, but her eyes were full of sadness. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid it isn't safe here for you, child." Emily explained.

"What do you mean, Aunt Emily?" Maria asked.

"The Council is out searching for…demons." Emily told her. "They could mistake you for one."

"Well, I guess with our family's gift, that's no surprise." Maria said. She looked really upset, as if she knew what was coming next.

"You must leave town soon."

"But, what about you, Aunt Emily?" Maria asked.

"I need to stay here." Emily told her. "I'll let you know when it's over. Trust me. It's for your own safety."

Back at Bonnie's house, Maria was talking about how she found out about her powers. "So, I accidentally broke all the windows in the guest bedroom." She told Bonnie. She laughed. "It's not funny, especially when the room looked like it went through an F-5 tornado afterward."

"I'm sorry, I know." Bonnie said. "At least you didn't set a car on fire during a school car wash."

"That's how you found out?"

"I kinda went into a trance." Bonnie said. "When I woke up, the car was on fire and people were running to put it out."

"I always hated that." Maria said. "When you come out of it, it feels almost like you've been having a dream, only it was real."

"Exactly." Bonnie told her. Grams walked into the room.

"I see you two are getting along."

"Just talking about our spell mishaps." Bonnie told her.

"All young witches have had them." Grams told her. "My, when I was a young girl, I nearly flooded the basement."

"Wow, guess it's common in the line of Bennett witches." Maria said. "I met one that nearly destroyed her home in a fire."

"At least I got lucky with the car." Bonnie said. "You two will get along if I go out for a while, won't you?"

"That's right, Elena told me you had a date tonight." Maria said.

"Don't worry about us." Grams told her. "We'll be alright." Bonnie left the room and got her bag from her room. She left a few minutes later. "Uh, you don't need…" She began. Maria realized what she was asking.

"Oh, no. Of course not. I don't do that stuff." Maria told her. "I can survive weeks without it. Enough about me, it's quite an honor meeting you. Bonnie's told me great things about you."

"Well, it's nice to see her finally getting along with her heritage." Grams told her. "She still gets a little scared sometimes."

"She is still new." Maria pointed out. "And we've all been there at one point."

"True, but we still need to remember we're also human and need to live our lives, and in some cases, teach our young witches to learn things about their powers." Grams told her.

"I remember when you led that peace rally." Maria said. "You were really an inspiration to me back then."

"It's good to know that there were two of you there listening." Grams told her.

"Are you kidding, everyone was listening." Maria pointed out. "Wait, who else…" Then the answer hit her. "Stefan. I should've guessed. He's always been one for motivational speakers."

"And helping find missing witches." Grams told her.

"Bonnie told me about the tomb incident." Maria said. "She really thinks of him as a good friend. We all do." She looked out the window. She was remembering her last encounter with Stefan, back when he was human and when she thought she still was, too.

It was dark outside. Maria was in her standard green dress. She stood waiting by a wall, with only a briefcase. She heard a twig snap and turned around. "You scared me. I thought you were one of those…demons."

"I'm sorry, Miss." Stefan told her. "What is a girl like you doing out here so late, anyway?"

"Leaving." Maria told him. "Aunt Emily says that with the council hunting demons and because our family's abilities, it's best if I leave town for a while."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do something to help." Stefan told her. "I'll miss our secret little meetings."

"We meet secretly so that your girlfriend doesn't get jealous." Maria pointed out. "Yes, I know. Aunt Emily can't hide a secret from family. I really wish I didn't have to do this."

"Will you be okay on your own?"

"My Aunt's been teaching me. I should be able to counter any demon I come across, if it comes to that." Maria said. She smiled. "Maybe we'll meet again someday."

"Let's hope it's sooner than later." Stefan said.

"I hope to return soon." Maria told him. She picked up her back and started to walk away. She stopped and turned around. "It's been an honor getting to know you, Mr. Salvatore."

"As it was an honor getting to know you, Miss Benett. I mean, Mary." He corrected himself. He knew she was a relative of theirs as well as new to witchcraft, but had forgotten she used a different last name to protect her identity.

"I promise I'll be safe." Maria told him. She walked away from the small town and didn't turn back.

"Are you okay?" Grams asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Maria told her. "Anyway, your granddaughter seems to be tapping into her power when she has to use it, mainly using one of the elements."

"True, but witches aren't invulnerable." Grams pointed out. "I hope that's something she doesn't find out the hard way."

"We can help her out a little." Maria said. "Besides, witches are stronger when they work together. I know from experience."

"I just hope she'll be careful. Not all witches are as strong as she is." Grams told her.

"I know." Maria told her. "But believe when I say that I'll do what I can to protect her. To protect everyone."

"You seem like an honorable young lady, Maria." Grams said. "I can see why my little Bonnie trusts you."

"Thank you." Maria said. She smiled and stood up. "I'm going to head upstairs." She walked into the guest room. Bonnie still hadn't returned yet and it was starting to get late. "She'll be fine. She can handle herself." Maria fell asleep for a couple hours before the buzzing of her phone woke her up. She had a text message.

Where are you? –S

She got up and looked at the clock. It was getting close to midnight. She looked to the side and saw Bonnie still wasn't back. Now she was worried. She quietly and carefully slipped out of the house, then took off full speed toward Elena's.

When she got there, she noticed Stefan helping her out. She was holding her head as though she were sick. "What happened?" Maria asked.

"Damon threatened to turn her unless we gave up the grimore." Stefan explained.

"Is it supposed to hurt like this?" Elena asked.

"It was just a little blood." Stefan told her.

"I thought you were spending the night at Bonnie's."

"I am, but I got a message from your boyfriend asking me to come here." Maria explained. "And she hasn't come back from her date."

"That's weird. She would've called." Elena said. She almost tripped as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Easy, I've got you." Stefan and Maria helped her regain her balance.

"Thanks." Elena said.

"I'm sure we'll find her soon." Maria told her.

"I hope your right."

"Can you watch her while I get the asprin?" Stefan asked. Maria nodded. He headed downstairs.

"So, how was it going?" Elena asked. They both sat down on her bed in her room.

"It was kinda awkward at first, but I'm getting along with them well." Maria pointed out. "Sheila reminds me of Aunt Emily. Always strong, but worried. Guess it runs in the Benett family."

"Bonnie's like that, too." Elena pointed out. "I'm sorry about this tomb situation. It must be hard for you."

"I'm only here to keep everyone safe." Maria told them. "It's weird. Since I came back here, I've felt more at home now than I ever have all those years ago."

"Let's just hope no one else finds out." Elena pointed out.

"I'm going to see if Stefan needs any help." Maria told her. She walked out of the room. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she heard him talking with Jeremy and Jenna.

"He's got a friend over." Jenna was saying.

"A friend?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah. Anna." Jeremy said. Maria froze. She rushed back upstairs. Stefan, using his speed, got there at the same time he did.

"Elena!" They said at the same time. Elena wasn't in her room anymore.

"Oh, no. I never should've left the room." Maria said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, we'll find her." Stefan pointed out. "You should get back to Bonnie's house in case she comes back." Maria nodded.

"Call me if you find her." Maria told him. She headed toward the front door.

"Hey, Maria." She spun around and saw Jeremy.

"Oh, Jeremy. Hi."

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked. "I know you have this thing with Anna, but…"

"Look, you should be careful around her, okay." Maria told him. "Sometimes she can hurt others without meaning to. I need to go now."

"See you around, then." Jeremy said. Maria walked out the door and headed back toward Bonnie's house. She hoped that wherever the girls were, that they would be safe.


	7. Plan Gone Wrong

Maria walked out the door and headed back toward Bonnie's house. She hoped that wherever the girls were, that they would be safe.

The next morning, Maria rushed downstairs. Sheila was waiting for her. "You haven't seen Bonnie, have you?"

"I haven't seen her since she left last night." Maria admitted. "I'm worried about her and Elena."

"Me, too. I have a bad feeling about this." She said.

"I'll try to help find her, if I can." Maria told her. She felt responsible for Elena getting kidnapped. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on finding her. She felt nothing in response. "I'm sorry. My powers are blocked."

"It's alright." Sheila put a hand on her shoulder. "Just clear your mind."

"That's why I came in the first place." Maria pointed out. "I'll be upstairs." She went back into the she realized she may not need her powers to find them. She raced back downstairs and called Stefan. "I think I have an idea. Meet me at Bonnie's house." She told him.

Sheila headed back inside. "It's like their always trying to get on our side." She said.

"You mean vampires? Technically, I'm on no one's side when it comes to that." Maria said. She walked outside to wait for Stefan. A half hour later, he finally showed up. "What took so long?"

"I had to cover for her." Stefan explained. "So, what's your idea?"

"I'll tell you once we're inside." Maria told him. She walked in, but he was stuck standing outside. "Oh, right. Sorry."

Sheila walked back in. "Mr. Salvatore, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to help find your granddaughter."

"Come in." She said.

"I think I know who took them and where they might be." Maria told them. "But just to be sure, let's try a locator spell." She focused. Sheila helped her out.

"I found her." Sheila said.

"Just where I thought they were." Maria said. "That hotel room I stayed the first night I arrived. That's where they are."

"Can you show me?" Stefan asked. Maria nodded.

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all." Sheila told her. "Do whatever it takes to make sure they get out unharmed."

They took off full speed toward it. "I knew I should've staked that girl when I had the chance!" Maria yelled, angry at herself.

"Wait, you know Anna?"

"I used to travel with her. She was my friend. When I found out about her recent actions, I turned against her." Maria explained. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was just afraid you'd think I was involved in her plans."

"Hey, I know you wouldn't do anything that would hurt us." Stefan said. "Though Damon…he just…"

"Shuts it all out to try and hide the pain? I know." Maria pointed out. "What vampire…except me…hasn't been there?"

"Well, it's hard to deal with sometimes."

"But he is your brother. That's why this thing is so hard for me to handle." Maria said. She turned to the side so he wouldn't see her tears fall.

"You going to be okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah." Maria said. They made it there in silence. She projected herself into the room briefly. "They're in here." She told him. "And we need to hurry." She opened her eyes and followed his lead.

They burst into the room. Stefan opened the curtains, causing pain to Anna's partner. The girls were okay. "Stefan!"

"Maria!" Bonnie called out. She was glad to see her.

"Let's get outside." Stefan told them. Maria helped the girls out of the room, while Stefan stayed behind for a few minutes.

"Are you two okay?" Maria asked.

"We're fine, thanks to you and Stefan." Bonnie told her.

"How did you know where to find us?" Elena asked.

"Witches are stronger together. Sheila helped me." Maria explained. "And I kinda knew Anna before she turned into this bitch."

"She doesn't seem too bad." Elena said. "Even though she did kidnap me."

"Because she's willing to harm others to get what she wants." Maria told her.

"That's obvious." Bonnie pointed out as continued running. Stefan caught up with them in no time.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No." Elena said. "I think he was just trying to scare us."

"It worked." Bonnie pointed out. The four arrived just outside Bonnie's place.

"I'm going to head back to the Boarding House." Maria told them. "Just to let him know you're okay."

"I figured."

"Be careful. Damon's not the only one that wants to get in the tomb." Maria said before taking off.

In the living room, she met with him. "So, I take it your little rescue mission was successful?"

"How'd you know I was there?"

"You're the good type, like my brother." Damon pointed out. "And you don't look like the type that would kill."

"Oh, really?" Maria asked. "True, I would never kill just to feed off a human. But evil vampires like you, on the other hand…"

"Hey, easy. I've already had a dose of witch attack today." Damon raised his hands up, as if he were innocent.

"Relax, I know you're not that bad." Maria said, laughing. "I'll be upstairs if you need me." She went up to her room. She took out her compact and applied a little make-up. "Uh, I need to stop going out in the sun so much." She noticed she was getting a little pale.

After a few minutes, Damon came upstairs. "Hey. I know you don't have any interest in this, but we're going to the tomb tonight."

"I'm coming with you." Maria said, getting up. "Not that I trust anyone on either side, but someone needs to be there in case Anna shows."

"How did you know about…"

"She's the one who tried to kill me before." Maria told him. "Good thing I always carry a little vervain in case."

That evening, the group headed to the tomb. "Are you sure you want to be here?" Damon asked. Maria pulled her jacket closer to her body.

"I'm sure." She told him. They headed down into the tomb. Everyone else was already there.

"I thought you weren't going to be a part of this." Bonnie remembered.

"Well, someone has to look out for the group." Maria pointed out. "Would you rather we all burn down here with them?"

"We get it." Stefan told her.

"Okay, let's get this over with." Bonnie said. The Benett witches started the spell.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Elena asked.

"Emily was powerful, but I don't know if I'd be able to remove her spell." Maria told her. "I didn't even know about the tomb until Anna told me."

"What's that?" Stefan asked. Maria turned around.

"It's for Katherine. Gotta have something to get her going." Damon pointed out. "Unless your girl's offering a vein to tap. Admit it-You can't wait to get rid of me."

"I can't wait to get rid of you."

"Save the sibling rivalry for later, guys." Maria told them. "I can't use my powers if there's disharmony in the group."

"Really? That's what blocks your powers?" Bonnie asked.

"It depends on the situation, but yes, sometimes it blocks me." She stood near the entrance and looked at the torches. It was almost like something out of a film she'd seen once. She turned and saw that they had the door opened.

"You ready?" Damon asked Elena.

"What?"

"You think I'm going to go in there by myself so you can seal me in?" Damon said.

"Don't take her in. I'll bring the walls down." Sheila warned.

"You'll bring walls down if I don't. You think I trust you?"

"As much as I trust you."

"Enough! Both of you." Elena yelled at them. The tone of her voice surprised Maria. "Look, he needs leverage. He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. I get it. I'll go."

"Hang on." Maria said. She walked over to Damon and secretly slipped something into his pocket. She gave him a small hug.

"What was that for?"

"Just wanted to wish you luck." Maria told him. She pulled away and watched as he and Elena walked in. A few minutes later, Anna showed up.

"Hey, you're not going in there." Bonnie said.

"I wouldn't...trust me." Maria warned her.

"You think you can stop me?" Anna asked. She ran into the tomb.

"Bonnie..."

"Why did you let her go in?" Bonnie asked.

"Because she isn't coming out." Sheila told her. "None of them are." Maria looked toward the tomb. She could hear the others inside.

"Is she okay?" Bonnie asked.

"She's fine. A little scared, but fine." Maria told her. Stefan came back at that moment.

"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked.

"Damon took her inside." Bonnie told him.

"What?" He headed toward the door.

"Stefan! If you go in there, you won't come out." Grams explained. "Opening the door didn't remove the seal, It just opened the door."

"What's the seal?" Stefan asked.

"Some seals keep vampires from entering. This one keeps them from...Coming out."

"Elena's human. She can leave." Stefan realized. "Anna and Katherine can't. Damon can't. You weren't even planning on breaking the spell."

"I told you. I will protect my own." Grams told him. "Elena can get out. That's all that matters."

"It won't effect me." Maria told everyone. "Since it was cast by a relative of the family, I should be immune to it." All of a sudden they heard Elena scream. Stefan began to run in. "Don't!" Maria grabbed him. "I'll help her." She ran into the tomb.

Anna had found Elena and was giving her blood to Pearl. Maria pushed Anna from behind. "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." Elena told her.

"Come on, let's get out of this place." The two of them ran out of the tomb with no problems.

"You're okay." Stefan embraced Elena.

"Wait, we can't just leave Damon in there." Elena realized. Maria looked in her pocket.

"Uh, oh. That's not good."

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked.

"Sheila, Bonnie, I need you to help me with a spell and fast!" Maria told them. The three of them concentrated and started doing a spell together. Maria closed her eyes and nearly collapsed.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Make sure he gets out." Maria managed. She was feeling really weak. She looked up to the witches. "It isn't working. The spell's not going to work."

"We can still try." Grams told her. She and Bonnie continued doing the spell. Maria knew this was going to be too much for even a strong witch. She closed her eyes and silently hoped that everything would be okay.

"Maria." She heard a voice call. It was Anna.

"Come on, we better help her get out of here." Bonnie said. She and Anna each took one of her arms and helped carry her out of ruins.

"I'll help her. You better go check on your grandmother." Anna told her. Bonnie left them. Another figure stepped near them.

"Anna?" Pearl asked.

"Mother, I need a moment. My friend needs help." Anna told her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a blood pouch. "Here, when was the last time you fed?"

"Before I came here." Maria told her. She took a small sip. "Besides, I know they still hunt vampires here, so we all have to lay low."

"I know. Sorry for all the trouble." Anna said. "I hope that your friend will be okay."

"What?" Maria asked. Anna just looked at her sadly and left with Pearl.

Back at the Boarding House, Stefan met Maria at the door. He just got off the phone with Elena. "I was afraid something may have happened."

"Anna saved me." Maria explained. "So, is everything okay here?" She asked as they entered the living room. Damon was looking at the fireplace. Maria turned to look at Stefan. He looked at her sadly. Then she realized what happened.

Stefan sat down near Damon. Maria walked over, but still kept herself distant. She reached out to touch him, but stopped at the last second. She was scared of how he might react. As she was about to head up to her room, she received a text from Elena.

-Get to Bonnie's ASAP

Maria quietly headed out the door. Then, she ran off into the night, allowing the tears she'd been holding back to flow out.


	8. Power Practice

Maria walked into the living room and handed Bonnie a glass. "Here. It should help."

"Thanks." Bonnie said. She was sitting on the ground. "This is really hard."

"I know. It'll get better." Maria reassured her, placing her hand on her shoulder. "When Aunt Emily was gone, I thought I was alone. I felt like an outsider. Then I found others who accepted me."

"Thanks for staying with me." Bonnie told her. "I'm sorry I haven't exactly been…"

"I know what it's like to lose people you care about." Maria said. "I feel a little responsible."

"We're all at fault." Bonnie pointed out. Maria let go of her and sat next to her.

"I know you're upset and angry, but please don't blame them." She told her. "It's times like this where you can get lost in anger most easily."

"Yeah, though it's mostly cause of Damon this happened." Bonnie said. Maria stayed silent. Bonnie didn't see how he was after the incident. Maria sighed, realizing she'd have to return eventually. "You should consider yourselves lucky, being able to turn it off if you need to."

"Except for when we can't." Maria said. "I'm so different, that I actually have an ability very few witches have. It's not easy to shut off your feelings when you've been gifted with empathy."

"So, you can sense others emotions?" Bonnie asked.

"I can feel what they feel." Maria explained. "I may not always know the details, but if someone's angry or hurt or anything, I'll pick up on it. But it always happens at the weirdest times."

"You'll learn to control it." Bonnie said.

"I hope so." Maria told her. "Enough about me though. We've got work to do."

"What?"

"I promised Sheila that I'd help you with your powers." Maria told her.

"I thought that was only a dream." Bonnie said.

"Hello, didn't you say that's how Emily called you once?" Maria pointed out. "If we're going to protect the others and stop these dark forces…"

"Whoa, what dark forces?" Bonnie asked. "Vampires?"

"There's a lot of things out there, Bonnie. Good and bad." Maria told them. "I came here to keep anything out that might bring harm to the town, to our friends. To those innocent people. Doesn't matter if their supernatural or not."

"Wow. Not too much pressure." Bonnie said.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Maria said. "If you want to back out…"

"No. I'll do it. I know that Stefan would do whatever it takes to protect Elena. And I'd do the same." Bonnie pointed out.

"Okay, then let's try practicing some spells." Maria told her. They sat down at a small table and looked at the grimore.

"So, how's this work?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, let's start with some of the basics. You already know some of the element spells, fire, water, and air?"

"Well, I don't know about air, but telekinesis could count, I guess." Bonnie pointed out.

"Okay, but you're familiar with the elements and that's good. How about your psychic abilities?" Maria asked.

"I don't know." Bonnie said. "I used to predict things and I can sense if someone's a vampire. That's it so far."

"Hmm." Maria thought for a few seconds. "Bonnie, I want you to concentrate. Look at me and concentrate."

"I don't know. I don't want to hurt you or…" Bonnie began.

"It's okay." Maria said. "I can protect myself with a psychic shield. I want you to concentrate. Focus." Bonnie looked at her. For a few moments, all they did was stare at each other. Then Maria blinked and forced herself to look away for a few seconds. Then she turned back to her.

"Are you even trying?"

"I am. But it's a little difficult. Usually it helps if I channel my emotions with it, but…" Bonnie threw up her hands and stopped. "I think I might be blocked again."

"Oh, come on." Maria said. She felt bad about what she was saying next, but knew it was the only way to get her to use the spell. "Or would you rather just let Damon get the best of you every time?" Bonnie glared at her angrily. Maria's shield was lowered a little. She put a hand on her forehead.

As quickly as it had started, Bonnie stopped, suddenly concerned. "Are you okay?" Maria closed her eyes and placed her hand down. She opened them again and sat down in the chair.

"Yeah. That was perfect, Bonnie."

"Wait, did I just…"

"I thought if I could provoke you, it'd work better." Maria told her. "And I was right."

"So, what was that?"

"It's a basic spell any witch should know for fighting a vampire or anyone with a healing ability." Maria explained. "It'll either give them a headache or knock them out long enough for anyone to get away."

"Wow. That's pretty harsh." Bonnie said. "I'd hate to hurt you by accident."

"Do I need to remind you I'm also a witch?" Maria pointed out. "I only use it when it's necessary. I would hate to harm anyone with it, though."

"Sometimes I forget that you're both." Bonnie pointed out. "It must be hard to be on both sides."

"I'm not on any side. I just want to help all four of you guys. You're the only ones who know what I really am and…" Maria paused for a moment. "You're the only real friends I've had since I left the others."

"Why don't you ask them into town?"

"Think about that statement. Do you really think I would invite a bunch of supernatural friends with a council that's out hunting for them in this town?" Maria asked. "I know how to lie low, but they can draw attention themselves sometimes."

"Oh, never thought of that. Sorry." Bonnie said.

"It's okay." Maria told her. "Why don't we try a wind spell next?"

The two stepped outside. It was clear and sunny for a change. "So, what do you want me to do?" Bonnie asked.

"Channel your powers and concentrate on the wind." Maria told her. "You need to feel it for this to work." Bonnie closed her eyes and focused. Nothing happened. She looked at Maria apologetically.

"It's tough."

"I know. It took me a while, too. Try again." Maria said. Bonnie closed her eyes and focused again. This time, a small gust blew around her. "You're doing it, Bonnie." Bonnie opened her eyes.

"Wow."

"I know. I remember the first time I learned that one." Maria told her. "Want to try it together?" She held up her hand. Bonnie hesitated at first, but eventually grabbed it. Maria took hold of her other hand.

Before long, the two were in a caught in a small breeze. The wind blew around the girls, moving the leaves at their feet. As soon as they dropped hands, it stopped. Then they started laughing. "That was amazing." Bonnie said.

"I know. It always lifts your spirits up and leaves you feeling good." Maria told her.

"Thanks for helping me get through this." Bonnie told her once they were back inside. "I think I'm okay with it now." Maria looked confused for a second. "I'm okay with being a witch and I'm going to keep practicing."

"I'll keep in touch." Maria told her. "And I'll let the others know how you're doing. They're a little worried."

"Thanks, Maria. For your help." Bonnie said.

"Would I be a bad friend if I left and headed back to the Boarding House?" Maria asked.

"Of course not." Bonnie said. "Besides, I'm going to be out of town for a couple weeks."

"I'll call you when I can." Maria told her. Then she got her backpack and started walking toward the Boarding House.

It was beginning to get dark out and she decided to avoid going into the forest. She was a little paranoid, so she decided to take the long way. She heard a buzzing sound and jumped. It took her a few seconds to realize it was her cell phone. She pulled it out. "Hello?"

"Hey, Maria." She relaxed when she heard the voice on the other end. "Is Bonnie okay?"

"She's fine. She's doing a lot better now." Maria told her. "Spending the past three days with her seemed to work."

"And you? Are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." Maria told her. "Really."

"Something on your mind?" Elena asked.

"Do you know how Damon is?"

"He's pretty much gone back to being the jerk that he is. No offense." Elena told her.

"None taken." Maria said. "Did something happen?"

"Too much to get into on the phone."

"Sorry. Anyway, I'm heading back there tonight." Maria told her. "Are you going to be okay, Elena?"

"I think so." Elena told her. "A lot's happened and I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad that you came here. With so much happening, we may need your help."

"That's why I'm here." Maria pointed out. She heard her yawn in the background. "Good night, Elena. No matter what happens, I'm on your side." She hung up and kept walking. She was just outside the door to the Boarding House. She headed inside and went up to her room.


	9. Empathy and Connecting

Maria woke up the next day feeling really tired. "This is really getting old."

"Like us, you mean?" She looked up. She was relieved she was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants.

"Seriously, this is exactly why I wear this to bed every evening. I always knew living in a house with guys would be trouble." Maria said.

"Elena told me you got back last night. We had to deal with something." Stefan explained to her.

"It seems everything happens when I'm away." Maria said. "I had to get the full story of what happened before I arrived from Elena, Bonnie, you, and even Caroline."

"Well, you only got back just after she found out about her parents." Stefan pointed out. "You holding up okay?"

"Yeah."

"The other night, how come you collapsed like that?" Stefan asked.

"I have a higher tolerance than normal vampires. Sometimes I forget that I'm part vampire because of that." Maria explained.

"That explains a lot."

"Enough about me, though. How's your brother doing?" Maria asked.

"I don't know. I want to say he's okay, but I had never seen him like this." Stefan told her.

"Is he still upset?" Maria asked.

"I think he's better now, but he might be trying to shut it out." Stefan said. "There's no way I can get through to him right now."

"That's the difference between you and me." Maria told him, getting up. "Let me talk to him. It's how I was able to help you before, remember?" After Stefan left her room and she got dressed, she headed downstairs. Damon was in the living room. He was facing the other way so he didn't see her come in.

"Damon?" He turned around.

"Hey. When did you get back?" He asked.

"Last night." Maria told him. "How are you?"

"I'm holding up." Damon said. "If my brother sent you to talk…"

"Hey!" Maria put her hands up. "I volunteered at my own free will."

"Well, that was stupid of you."

"I'm sorry, did you really just call me stupid?" Maria asked. "You're the one who's barely even focused on the Council or anything about this town for that matter. And…" She paused, unwilling to continue.

"I get it." Damon said. "If you want to continue this outside, you know where to find me." He walked away. All Maria could do was gawk as he passed by.

"You alright?" Stefan asked, noticing her as he came downstairs.

"Did that seriously just happen?" Maria asked.

"Give him a little time." Stefan told her. "It's only been a few days."

"Guess I'll try again later." Maria said. "I need to get some air." She headed outside and ran into the woods. Then she took the shortcut she found when she had first arrived in town and went to Elena's house.

Before she even knocked on the door or rang the bell, the door swung wide open. "Maria?" Jenna said. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah, I know I should've called first." Maria said.

"I'm have some errands to run, but I'll be back. Tell Elena and Jeremy, okay?" Jenna asked. She practically ran out of the house and Maria stared after her. Elena appeared in the doorway.

"Is your aunt always like this?"

"Only when she's in a rush." Elena told her. "How are you?"

"I'm a little confused." Maria said, heading inside. "I tried talking to him this morning and got completely blown off."

"Well, he spent a long time looking for her, you know?" Elena asked. They headed up to her room where Jeremy wouldn't hear them. "Since we're on the subject, how did you know I wasn't Katherine? When you first got here, I mean. Most of them mistake me for her."

"First of all, I could sense you were human. Not to mention, vampires don't have auras. At least, it isn't visible, anyway." Maria explained. "I could see yours clearly. Not to mention, you are much nicer than her."

"Well, I know of her only from what Stefan told me." Elena said. "Was she really as bad as he says she is?"

"I could never tell. I never really spoke with her directly, so it was hard for me to figure out if she was being honest. She always seemed a little fake to me, though. It's hard to believe she was actually friends with Miss Pearl."

"You knew Anna's mother?"

"Hey, I had a life before I was changed, you know." Maria pointed out, laughing. "I mean, sort of changed."

"Sorry, I'm still kinda getting used to all this." Elena said.

"I totally get it. Though once you know, it's hard not to get involved." Maria told her. "But with everything you've been through so far, I can tell you're a strong person. And you've got a good heart."

"Thanks." Elena said. "I see why Stefan's friends with you. It's like you've both got this way of understanding people."

"Well, I was born with the gift of empathy." Maria explained. "And he was always kind to others. Unless he was angry." She shivered. Even she was afraid of him when he was angry.

"You know what I don't get about everything?" Elena asked. Maria looked up at her. "Damon is such a jerk, but sometimes it seems like he's…you know, just like the rest of us. On our side."

"Well, we all go through rough times, Elena. Whether it's an ordinary life or over a century." Maria explained. "It can really hurt sometimes and we all have different ways of dealing with the pain."

"Like killing people?"

"Okay, not all of us are killers." Maria pointed out. "I just wish I could help him. I'd never seen him so broken before. To see him looking so lost when he's normally so confident." Maria said. "I really wish I knew what to say." Elena looked at her.

"You care about him, don't you?" She asked. Maria nodded, surprised she was able to figure that out. "I can see the way you look whenever you talk about him. It's kind of weird to say this, but as much of a jerk as he is, I'm starting to think of him as a friend."

"You don't mind your friend kills people?" Maria asked.

"Well, not a close friend." Elena said. "Maybe he'll listen to you if you talk to him."

"You're right." Maria got to her feet and headed toward the bedroom door.

"Maria?" She turned around. "Are you sure that…I mean…" Maria looked at her and understood what she was having trouble saying.

"Hey, don't worry about things with Stefan." She told her. "It's okay if you want to hang with him." Elena looked surprised.

"You mean…"

"Please, I care about Stefan like a brother, but nothing past that." Maria told her. "Besides, I can see that you'd do whatever you could to help him out if the situation called for it."

"You give really good advice." Elena told her.

"Well, I've had experience. A friend of mine dated a human once." Maria said. "They're still together." She left the room and ran into Jeremy.

"Hey, Maria."

"Hi, Jeremy. How have things been going?" Maria asked.

"Things are alright. I haven't seen Anna in a few days, though."

"She's busy with a family reunion." Maria told him. "She got so distracted that she forgot to call." As she left, she wondered why Anna was still hanging around.

Back at the Boarding House, she walked into the study. Stefan was reading when he noticed her. "Anything happen while I was out?"

"Not really, he's been upstairs all afternoon." Stefan told her. "He looked kind of upset."

"Let's just hope he's not drunk." Maria said. "Right now, he needs us."

"I know. Under normal circumstances…"

"I'm going to check on him, okay?" Maria asked, cutting him off. She headed upstairs and went toward Damon's room. He was standing near the window looking outside. She looked at him, but didn't move past the doorway until he spoke.

"You know, you can come in here without an invitation, you know." He said, still facing the window.

"I didn't want to disturb you." Maria said, stepping into the room, but staying close to the doorway in case.

"You didn't know, did you?" Damon asked, turning around to face her. She saw how lost and heartbroken he looked.

"I had no idea. I didn't even know about the tomb until I arrived in town." Maria explained. "I had a suspicion, though. But I wasn't entirely sure. All I knew was that she's supposed to be in there." She stepped into the room further. She was at a loss for words. He was so hurt in a way that she'd never seen in him and it broke her heart to see him like this.

"I can't believe I spent all this time looking and she never even cared." He said, turning back to the window.

"Damon…" Maria stood there, unable to say anything. "If she is still alive, maybe…" She cut off. She didn't want to promise him false hope.

"If I had known…" Maria walked over to him and put her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Damon." She told him. "I wish I could do something to help. I wish I knew if she were still around." He was surprised by this. He was still upset, but he felt a little better all of a sudden.

"Why are you…" He began.

"Because no one deserves that kind of rejection." Maria said. "Maybe it just means she's not the one…" Suddenly, he grabbed her. The action caught her so off guard she didn't see it. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"What did you mean, then?"

"That maybe there's someone better than her." Maria strained. "Someone that really cared about you, even if you can't see it." She was scared now and though she probably didn't need to breathe, but she was struggling. Then, she did probably the most stupid thing that she'd done since she got to town. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and her lips touched his. She pulled away quickly and gasped in surprise.

Damon looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry." Was all she could get out. Then she rushed out of the room. He just stood looking at the doorway, confused about what the heck just happened.

Maria ran into the hallway. She couldn't believe what she did. She wanted to kick herself. Then again, it was the only distraction she could come up with. She knew he wouldn't be able to remember at this point. Maria took a deep breath to try and calm down. She touched her lips and smiled, blushing. Her back was facing the hall, so she didn't see Stefan come up behind her.

"How's he doing?" She turned around, slightly startled.

"I think he's okay." Maria told him. "Though it's hard to tell sometimes considering it's Damon. It's like trying to read the emotions of someone that's turned within twenty-four hours."

"I thought I heard a struggle."

"Yeah, he kinda lost his temper for a second."

"Then I guess it's safe to say Damon's back to normal." Stefan said.

"As normal as it can be for any vampire." Maria added.

"You're not any vampire, though."

"Sure, let's all blame the vampire witch." Maria said.

"How is this possible again?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know." Maria told him. "Maybe part of me died, maybe some part of me was fighting against changing. Either way, I can't do anything about it now. Despite this state that I'm in, there must be some reason for it considering Aunt Emily wanted me to be able to use all my abilities."

"We'll figure it out eventually." Stefan pointed out. "But for now, it's up to us to help him keep this town safe."

"That won't be a problem." Maria said. "I've gotten good at blending in." She stopped outside her room. "I'll try to check in on him tomorrow."

"Hey, Maria." She turned around. "I'm glad you came here. You're a great friend."

"Thanks. I could say the same about you." She told him. She headed into her room and fell against the bed. She wondered what would happen tomorrow before sleep took over.


	10. An Awkward Evening

Maria was in her room, writing in her diary. All of a sudden, she heard a crash come from downstairs. She sped downstairs into the den. Someone was attacking Damon. She sped over and pushed the attacker off him. "Leave him alone!" She got over to his side, then noticed there was a second person in the room.

"Mama!" The girl said.

"Anna?"

"Maria? What are you doing here?"

"I live here." Maria pointed out. "Ever since the motel room incident."

"Mary?" The woman asked.

"Miss Pearl." Maria stood up and dusted herself off. "Why were you attacking my friend?"

"Forgive me, I didn't know…"

"Just go." Maria told her. "You've done enough here. And if you ever attack anyone I care about again…"

"Very well." Pearl said. "We'll be on our way."

"I'm sorry. My mother's negotiation tactics are a bit on the vampiric side." Anna told her.

"Why are you even still here?" Maria asked her. "Just out of curiosity."

"I'm helping my mom move in." Anna explained. "We'll be leaving now."

Damon groaned and Maria went back over to his side. "You okay?"

"Not really." She headed downstairs and got a few blood bags. She also grabbed a pair of sunglasses from upstairs.

"Here, you'll need these." She explained, helping him get them on. "When they heal, it's like optometrist dilated them."

"Thanks." Damon told her. "What are you still doing here, anyway? I thought you'd be at school."

"I overslept." Maria explained. "By the time I got up, my usual class was half-over."

"So you decided to ditch instead?"

"Since when do you care if I attend school or not? Besides, Elena's in safe hands if your brother's there."

"How do you know Pearl?" Damon asked. Maria looked at him, surprised.

"You don't remember." She said quietly. Even he couldn't hear it. "You really want me to bore you with that?" She asked him.

"I just needed a distraction, pass the time while I recover from that attack."

"I was friends with her daughter." Maria told him. "She was like a mother to me for a short time. Then I found out they were vampires. When I heard she was captured, my first instinct was to find Anna."

"So, you were friends with that back-stabbing girl?"

"She wasn't so bad back then." Maria told him. "And neither were you for that matter."

"How do you know what I was like?"

"I'm only a couple months older than you." She pointed out. "And besides, I've seen you around, though you probably don't remember me."

"Well, you've probably had different aliases." Damon pointed out.

"I did. In fact, I changed my name by the time I met Lexi."

"Okay, I'm done here." He tried to get up, but he winced.

"Don't move." Maria told him. "What did she want, anyway?"

"She wanted me to spy for her. On the Council."

"And you turned her down." Maria said. "My hearing may not be that strong, but even I wouldn't have the nerve to face Pearl in a fight."

"Then why'd you intervene?"

"Because you're my friend, Damon." She told him. "Besides, if it were reversed, you'd do the same." She turned to go when he spoke up.

"The other night…" She turned around. She was hoping he'd forgotten. "Why did you k…"

"I don't know." Maria explained. "I really don't know. It just happened. All I really remember was trying to get away."

"I remember. So, what now?"

"You know, it was a stupid idea. Let's just pretend it never happened, okay?" Maria asked.

"Fine by me." He said. She left the room for a while.

A few hours later, she was reading a book. Damon came over to her. "So, feel like going into town?"

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Maria asked. "I mean, after an attack like that I'd be stuck inside for three days."

"Well getting air always helps clear your mind." He pointed out.

"Okay. Where are we going?" Maria asked.

A few minutes later, they were walking. "So, how's it going with the board?" She asked. She didn't want to say Council in case other people were eavesdropping.

"It's fine. They don't know about us." Damon told her.

"Good to know. Cause otherwise, this whole thing would be a…whoa!" She tripped and almost fell. He grabbed her to help keep her balance. "Thanks."

"You really should watch your step. Or were you daydreaming again?" She hit him on the arm, playfully.

"Seriously, don't men treat women with respect anymore?" She said as they started walking again. They ended up at The Grill.

"Where have I heard that before?" Damon asked.

"It'll come to you." Maria told him. "Sometimes, it takes a while to remember certain things. I know from experience."

They both sat down. "You two new around here?" A woman asked.

"Not really. I have family here." Maria answered.

"Same here."

"Kelly?" A familiar voice asked. Maria looked up and noticed Jenna. "We went to college together." She told them.

"Yeah, this is getting awkward." Maria got up. "I'm going to go. See you around."

"You're girlfriend seems kinda shy." She heard Kelly say. She blushed and walked away from the group, but not before hearing Damon's response.

"She's not my girlfriend. She's more like a sister." Maria stepped outside and headed into the forest. It wasn't long before she nearly ran into someone.

"Ow!"

"Oh, god. Are you okay?" She looked up and saw a guy. He looked kinda familiar.

"Yeah, I am. You go to my school." She realized.

"That's right. You're the new girl, aren't you?" He said, slowly remembering.

"Maria." She shook his hand. "And you're Matt's friend, right?"

"Yeah. Tyler. So, what brings you around here?"

"That's complicated." Maria told him. She knew she couldn't tell him anything that was going on.

"Okay, I get it. You're new around here, so you don't get out often."

"Something like that." Maria said. "I guess you could sort of say I'm like Elena, only from out of town." She was starting to feel really uncomfortable around Tyler.

"Well, you wanna hang out sometime?"

"Not really."

"Maria?" She heard a familiar voice call. She turned around and noticed Pearl on the street corner.

"Who is that?" Tyler asked.

"It's my aunt. I'm visiting her." Maria said quickly.

"I thought that was you. What are you doing here?" Pearl asked.

"Just talking with a friend." Maria said. She lowered her voice. "Follow my lead." Pearl looked confused, but nodded. "Aunt Pearl, this is Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." He shook her hand.

"Nice meeting you too. It's getting late. We must be on our way." Pearl told him.

"I should go, you know what it's like at night with these streetlights." Maria said. The two of them walked away from the area. They headed down the path to the Boarding House.

"I am so glad you came by when you did. That Tyler kid creeps me out." Maria told her.

"It's the least I can do for an old friend." Pearl pointed out. "Though you may want to work on your cover story a little better next time."

"Trust me, it just gets more complicated." Maria said. "What were you doing out in town, anyway?"

"I decided I'd see the town. I've heard about others that aren't like us and decided to do a little investigating."

"Anna told me about your ranch house. Is it true that the others are there, too?" Maria asked.

"They are."

"Great. One more thing to worry about."

"Marie, listen. I trust very few of them. If anything happens, do not hold me accountable."

"I make no promises about my roommates." Maria told her.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I had no idea you were staying with them." Pearl said.

"Thanks for walking me back, Miss Pearl. I was kind of scared to go alone tonight. I had one of those feelings again."

"It's the least I could do to make up for earlier. Besides, you're always a bright spirit to be around."

"Guess I'll be seeing you around." Maria told her. She gave her a brief hug and headed inside. She went upstairs and wrote in her diary until she heard another crash. She ran downstairs to find the parlor a mess.

"Think you could give us a hand here?" Stefan asked.

"I thought you were out with Elena."

"Yeah, things got complicated." It took about an hour for them to get it to look normal again.

"I am so putting a barrier spell around my bedroom." Maria said.

"You know, you kinda scare me with that magic thing sometimes." Damon said.

"You, of all people, should know better than to mess with a witch."

"You're not even a full witch."

"I'm not a full vampire, either." She pointed out. "Sometimes, I wish I was and other times I just want to be human."

"It's really tough on you, I know." Stefan told her. "I've been there before. It's hard to accept sometimes."

"At least it's not always this way." Maria said. "One of the good things that came out of it was meeting you two. Well, in this time period anyway."

"We should wrupstairs. Your girlfriend is going to want to know about this in the morning." Damon pointed out.

"Oh, man. I forgot all about that." Maria said.

"We can handle it." Stefan pointed out. "No matter what happens, we can get through whatever they have planned."

Maria went back upstairs. She worried about what would happen tomorrow. It was like she couldn't shake the bad feeling that something terrible was going to take place.

**A/N: Again, sorry about not updating in a while. Been busy with finals coming up. Anyway, I'm not sure about continuing this story. If you want me to continue, please review. **


	11. Rescue Mission

The next day, Elena came over to the Boarding House. The entire group was meeting. "I say we go after those guys that tried to stake us last night." Damon was saying.

"And then what? Turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say "Oops, sorry'?" Stefan pointed out.

"Yeah, we're going to need a better plan than that." Maria said.

"I can't believe you made a deal with her." Elena said.

"It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it's not like a choice." Damon pointed out. "She's... scary."

"Tell me about it. I came down here and she was attacking him." Maria told them. "I nearly threw her into the wall to help him."

"Anyway, she's gonna help me get Katherine back." He continued after she'd finished speaking.

"Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process." Elena said. She was speaking to Damon, but she was looking at Maria, who was watching the rain fall against the window.

"You don't have to be snarky about it." Damon said.

"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb." Elena pointed out. "I've earned snarky."

"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?" Damon asked.

"Wait, you turned her birth mother?" Maria asked. "Did I miss something?"

"I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities." Elena said. Maria stood in the middle of the group, getting ready to intervene if a fight broke out.

"Hey, guys…" Maria started.

"This isn't being very productive." Stefan pointed out. "We have to figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires." Damon left the room.

"Man, he's got issues." Maria commented.

"I'm sorry." Elena turned to Stefan. "He just makes me so cranky."

"I know. He makes everybody cranky." He pointed out.

"That's an understatement." Maria said, joining the conversation.

"So, what are we going to do?" Elena asked. Maria was wondering the same thing.

"Damon and I are gonna handle everything, I promise."

"Well, what about me? I can't just sit here and do nothing." Elena protested.

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, because that's what going to keep you safe." Stefan said.

"Which means nothing if you're not safe, too." Elena pointed out.

"Elena, there's like twenty-five vampires in that house. We can't risk one of them hurting you." Maria said.

"Besides, I'm perfectly safe. I have Damon, the self-serving psychopath on my side." Stefan said, almost laughing.

"Well, that's comforting." Elena said.

"And he's got me." Maria pointed out. "I may not look like it, but I can really hold my own in a fight if necessary. Plus I've got my powers to back them up. Trust me, Elena, we can handle it."

"Alright." Elena said. She left the house afterward.

"That girl's got determination." Maria commented.

"She tries to be strong no matter how hard things get." Stefan told her. "It's one of the things I love about her."

"I figured. She kinda reminds me of you sometimes." Maria said. "The two of you are kind of similar when it comes to protecting others." Damon came back into the room. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just wanted to make sure she'd left." He said.

"I'll be upstairs." Maria told them. She walked out of the room. She looked out at the rain hitting the panel of her window. Suddenly, she felt something was off. She ran downstairs and found Damon in the living room. "Did Stefan leave?"

"He went out hunting a few hours ago." Damon told her. "He'll probably be back in five minutes."

"I really hope so, Damon."

An hour later, they were at Elena's house. Maria closed her umbrella as she let them in.

"You're ignoring me."

"The 6 missed calls? Sorry. My phone is dead." Elena told him coldly.

"Elena, this isn't the time for this." Maria said.

"Is Stefan here?" Damon asked.

"No. Why? Something wrong?" Elena asked.

"He went out to the woods and didn't come back." Damon explained. "I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was here with you."

"And I've been getting a really bad feeling, Elena." Maria told her. "I don't want to scare you, but I can't ignore it." Elena tried calling Stefan.

"It's going straight to voicemail." She looked at them. "Where could he be?" Damon and Maria looked at each other. They were thinking the same thing

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking." Damon warned her.

Maria and Elena waited by the car outside while Damon stopped by Pearl's house. "I hate this weather." Maria said, using her powers to try to make an invisible barrier, sort of like an umbrella.

"So, you can tell if anyone's in trouble?" Elena asked.

"Only if it's someone that I have a connection with." Maria explained. "Stefan's been a friend for many years. I got really scared when you weren't picking up."

"Sorry. I was mad at Damon."

"Don't be. You had every reason to." Maria said. "Speaking of which…" He came over to them.

"What happened? Where is he?" Elena asked.

"They have him." Damon said, confirming Maria's fear. "I can't get in."

"Why not?"

"Because the woman that owns the house is compelled to not let me in." He told them.

"I can get in." Elena said.

"You're not going in there." While they argued, Maria turned away.

"Hey, wait! Just because you can't get in, that doesn't mean I can't." Maria pointed out. "They don't know who I am. Besides, I could protect Elena."

"You're not going there without a plan." Damon said. "You can't just break him out and fight off all of them alone." Maria sighed. He was right. She was strong and powerful, but she'd never be able to do it alone.

"Why are they doing this?" Elena asked. "What do they want with him?"

"Revenge." Maria and Damon said at the same time. They looked at each other. Maria looked away.

"They want revenge."

"We can't let them hurt him. We gotta get him out of there." Elena said.

"I know, Elena. But I don't know how to get him out."

"We're going to need some back up." Maria said.

"And Bonnie's still out of town." Elena pointed out. "What'll we do?"

"Maybe we won't need her." Damon said. He turned to Maria. "Do you trust me?" She nodded.

Alaric was in the classroom when Damon walked in. "Well, don't you look alive." He commented.

"You can't hurt me." Alaric said.

"Oh, I can hurt you, all right." Damon said.

"But you won't." A voice behind him said. Elena appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Saltzman. We need your help."

"Wait, what's going on here?" Maria asked as they entered the room.

"You know this guy?"

"Damon, this is my history teacher." Maria told him.

"He's also a vampire hunter." Damon explained. Maria turned to Elena. She nodded.

"Are you like them?" Alaric asked her.

"I'm a little more unique, but yes." Maria said.

"Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire. He can't get in." Elena explained to him. "We need you. I would go, but..."

"Your life is valuable." Damon told her. "Yours, on the other hand..."

"Damon…" Maria started in a warning tone.

"Stefan told me about your ring."

"What about it?"

"Let me recap...You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?" Damon said.

"Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again." Alaric said. "Only this time, I don't miss."

"Will you all just stop it?" Maria practically yelled. "My friend is in trouble, and here you all are arguing! If we don't do something, he'll probably die. He's a good person who doesn't deserve this. Either we suck it up or we leave Stefan for dead." The guys were looking at her in shock. None of them had heard her speak like that before.

"Mr. Saltzman. Please. It's Stefan."

"I'm sorry, Elena." Alaric told her. "But it's not my problem."

"That's a shame." Damon said. "Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

"What are you doing?" Maria asked.

"You're lying."

"Well, this was a complete waste of our time." Maria said. "Let's go, guys."

"Wait." They turned around. "I'll help you." He brought out a case full of weapons.

"Whoa. You really are a hunter." Maria said.

"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night." Damon noted.

"I have you to thank for that." Alaric told him. Maria noticed the tension between the guys in the room.

"What are these?" Elena asked. Maria looked. They were the same needles she used.

"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain." Alaric told her.

"Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out." Damon said.

"That's your plan? You're just gonna take them all on yourself?" Elena asked.

"No, he'll have us for help." Maria said. "You'd be surprised what you can do when you're part witch." Elena picked up one of the needles.

"Whoa. What are you doing?" Alaric asked.

"I'm going with you guys." Elena told them.

"No way." Damon said.

"You need me. I'll get in." Elena explained. "You could distract them, and then I'll get Stefan out."

"You'll get yourself killed." Damon pointed out. "You're not going in there."

"I'm going." Damon turned to Alaric.

"So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can." He told him. "I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in the way."

"Damon, now is not the time to be the lone ranger."

"Fine. Elena, you can drive the getaway car. You're not going in the house."

"You can't stop me. It's Stefan we're talking about here." Elena pointed out. "You don't understand."

"Stefan would want you to be safe." Maria pointed out. "But you're still coming with us."

"Maria, are you sure about that?" Damon asked.

"Look, I get it, Damon. You can't protect Elena and save your brother at the same time." Maria said. "So I'll help Elena."

"You won't be able to get in." Damon pointed out.

"So then we'll wait." Maria said.

"If we're gonna go, let's go." Alaric told them.

The girls waited in the car as they went up to the house. "So, how'd you know about this place?" Elena asked. "How'd you guess he'd be here?"

"I saw Miss Pearl the other night." Maria explained. "She told me. Still don't know why she and Anna are around here, though. I assumed they'd move on. I was afraid something like this would happen. It must be her day off."

"Yeah, that's helpful." Elena said sarcastically.

"You seem to know a lot about what goes on in this town. What does Mr. Saltzman have against Damon?"

"You remember when he said he turned my birth mother?" Elena asked. She nodded. "Well, it turns out that she was his wife. He saw him kill her."

"Whoa." Maria said. "Small world." She got up suddenly. "Come on, the barrier's broken."

"Hang on." Elena said. She picked up one of the vervain needles. "Even if you're with me, I need to be able to protect myself if I have to." They headed up to the doorway.

"Billy, Jacob, get back in here!" A voice said. Maria grabbed Elena, and pulled her away. She indicated to a staircase outside that would lead into the basement of the house. Carefully, they walked downstairs.

"I can't believe it's him." She whispered.

"You know him?"

"Not very well. Only enough to know he's really mean and has the power to back it up." Maria told her. There was a vampire keeping watch. "Get behind me." She flung her hand toward him. He cringed in pain. At that same moment, Damon showed up and injected him with vervain.

"Took you long enough." He said.

The group entered the cellar and found Stefan along with one of the other vampires tied up. It took a few seconds, but he noticed them. "Elena...You shouldn't be here..." He said.

"It's okay. She's got me." Maria told him.

"She talked me into letting her help." Damon explained. "You can take it out on me later."

"What'd you do to get the same treatment?" Maria asked the other vampire.

"I tried to stop them. I failed." He told her. Damon looked at him.

"No, he's telling the truth." Maria said.

"Let's get you down." He turned back to Stefan.

"There's vervain on the ropes." He warned.

"Elena." Damon said. Elena managed to get Stefan free. Maria helped, but was careful not to touch the ropes. She managed to use fire to burn one of them. Next thing they knew, Stefan was on the floor.

"All right, let's go." Damon said.

"We better hurry. I can hear them." Maria told them. She quickly used fire to free the other vampire from the ropes.

"Thanks." Stefan was standing, but he still seemed weak.

"Can you get him in the car?" Damon asked.

"Yeah." Elena said. Maria nodded.

"All right, go."

"What about you?" Elena asked.

"You rescue, I'll distract. Go." Damon told them.

"Be careful, Damon." Maria said. The girls helped Stefan get up. Together, the three of them headed into the woods and toward the car. Both of them were helping him walk.

"Can you make it?" Elena asked.

"He'll be okay, but the vervain weakened him." Maria told her. "He must've been down there a long time." Next thing they knew, all three of them fell to the ground.

"You two okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah. Come on, we gotta keep going." Elena said. The girls got up and helped him get back to his feet. "Come on." It wasn't long before they made it to the car. Elena went to start the engine, but the key was missing. Maria remained outside. She saw a shadow move.

"Stefan..." Elena began. Suddenly, there was a loud sound. She jumped up and saw that Maria had pushed Stefan to the ground behind her. One of the tomb vampires was in front of her and was in a lot of pain.

"Get Stefan out of here!" Maria told her.

"I won't make it in time!" Elena said. Suddenly, the vampire grabbed Elena. However, she still had the vervain needle and injected it into him. The next thing she knew, Stefan had passed out on the ground next to the car. "Oh, no! Stefan!"

Maria ran over to his side as Elena watched. "He's okay. He's weak, but he'll survive." She saw the vampire getting back up. "Watch over him. I've got a problem to take care of." She got back to her feet and left Elena with him.

"Should've known Miss Pearl's friend would try and stop us." The vampire said.

"Not only that, but she'll succeed." Maria told him. She shouted a couple words in a foreign language. Almost instantly, he was surrounded by some kind of leaves or petals, almost as though he was in a mini-tornado. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain. "Never mess with my friends."

She turned around and saw that Stefan had regained consciousness. "What did you do?" He asked.

"Same thing he did to you, only witch style." Maria told him. "It'll weaken him long enough for you to stake him." Elena helped Stefan get to his feet.

"You sure you'll be able to handle this?" She asked.

"I'll be fine. As long as she can keep the spell going long enough." Stefan told her. Then Maria noticed that he looked a lot better. He picked up a branch that had fallen and left them. Elena was holding her wrist.

"What did you do?" She asked, though she knew the obvious answer. In the distance, she heard everyone else struggling. "You two get out of here. I'll catch up when I can."

She ran back into the house where she found Damon and Alaric struggling to defend themselves. She managed to knock one out and ran over to them. "He's safe." Maria told him.

"Okay, but we're not." Alaric pointed out.

"Stop." They all turned as Pearl and Anna walked in. "What's going on here? What did you do?"

"Me? Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother." Damon told her.

"He's telling the truth, Pearl. We had to get him out of here." Maria said.

"Trust me. The parties responsible for this will be dealt with." Pearl told them.

"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them"

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Pearl said.

"Well, it did. If I had a good side...Not a way to get on it."

"You know that if she'd been here, it wouldn't have gone down like this, right?" Anna asked her as soon as Damon left.

"Yeah, I do know that. But Stefan is just as much a friend as you are and if anyone threatens him they answer to Damon and me." Maria explained. "I have to go. We only brought one car."

She was shaking by the time they got back to the Boarding House. "Thanks for the back-up earlier." Damon told her.

"Just trying to show you guys that I'm on your side." Maria pointed out. "Besides, friends always look out for each other."

"Can you handle things here? It's been a long day."

"No problem." She went inside to find Stefan and Elena talking. She looked in the mirror. Her hair was a little messed up, but that was nothing compared to the disaster she'd been through.

"How are you doing?" She heard Elena ask.

"I'm ok. The wounds have mostly healed."

"Good."

"Elena..."

"Yeah?"

"What you did today, coming to help me...You could have been killed."

"Hey, I had Maria with me the whole time." Elena protested. "I know she'd never have just let one of her partners die right there."

"And what I did, I'm sorry that...I'm sorry that you had to see it."

"I've just never...You were like this other person." Elena said. "And it's my fault. I made you...:

"No. You didn't make me do anything." Stefan told her. "You were saving my life. And I was saving yours. Everything's gonna be ok."

"I hope you're right about that." Maria said, finally coming in. "And Elena's right, I would never leave anyone for dead."

"Did you hear all that?"

"Of course I did." Suddenly, Elena's phone rang.

"Hey, Jer...What-what's going on?" Elena asked. "Oh, no." She looked to Stefan.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I don't know, but I need to get over to Caroline's." Elena told them. "I'll see you around."

"Whatever it is, it must've been something bad." Maria said. "Are you okay? You had a really rough time."

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little better after you guys came and got me out of there."

"Are you going to be okay?" Maria asked. "I know what happened in the woods."

"I think so."

"I mean it, Stefan. Are you going to be okay?" Maria repeated, a little more firm this time.

"Honestly, I don't know." Stefan told her.

"If anything happens, we'll be there to help." Maria said. "I'm going to bed. It's been a really long day."

"Hey, Maria?" She turned around. "Thanks for helping earlier."

"Anytime. I would never let anything happen to someone I cared about." She told him. She headed upstairs. She knew that whatever came next, it wasn't going to be good.


	12. An Author's Interview

Maria woke up the next morning with a slight headache. "Uh, my head." She got out of her bed and got changed for school. She had a message on her phone. It read:

I'm in town. Meet me later?

Maria smiled as she recognized the number. She put her phone away. When she looked up, she noticed Damon standing in the doorway. "You look like you're in a mood."

"How did you not hear that?" Damon asked her.

"I've always been a heavy sleeper." Maria said. "Plus, this protection barrier also makes the room soundproof."

"Wish I'd asked you to do mine so that my brother wouldn't give me a wake up call."

"How is he?" Maria asked. "I mean, I've heard about things like this before, but…"

"He's trying to fight it, but it might tear him apart." Damon explained.

"I'd stay over at the Bennett's house, but it doesn't feel right with Bonnie out of town and her grandmother being gone."

"So, the elder witch got to you, huh?"

"She reminded me so much of Aunt Emily." Maria told him. "Always kind, but still firm in her beliefs."

"You better get to school if you don't want to be late." Damon said, trying to change the subject.

"I'll talk to you later." Maria told him.

At school, she met with Caroline in the hallway. Okay, more like Care jumped on her. "Maria, it's so great to see you!"

"Caroline, could you tone it down a bit?"

"I'm sorry, I just get excited when I hear good news." Caroline said.

"Hey, Care."

"Matt, hi." She looked kinda sad. "I'm so sorry about what happened."

"It isn't your fault." Matt told her. "I gotta go find Tyler, make sure that he doesn't start fighting with Jer again." Maria could see his emotions under the surface. He was really upset about something. He left the girls

"What happened? Did someone…"

"His sister." Caroline told her. Her voice was quieter now and she looked sad. "The other night, I found his sister's body in the woods. They say she overdosed. It's true that Vicki was a druggie and hard to get along with, but…"

"Wait, Vicki?" Maria asked. "She's his sister?"

"Sorry, I forget that you're new around here." Caroline said. Maria felt really bad. She knew about what really happened to the girl.

"Hey, I may not have known her, but I do feel bad for both of them." She told her. "What happened with Vicki was tragic and Matt probably feels lonely."

"Wow, you're such a deep person."

"You should give him a little time." Maria told her. Then, the bell rang. "We better get to class. You can tell me your good news later."

After class, Alaric spoke with Elena and Maria. He handed Elena a paper that Jeremy wrote. Maria looked over her shoulder at the title. Was he on to them?

"He wrote this?"

"He doesn't really think this was real."

"I hope you're right because I've done so much to protect him from all this." Elena said. Maria looked at her. She understood, but she also knew she couldn't keep hiding her secret much longer.

"How do you deal with it?" He asked her. "With all the lies and secrets."

"It's not safe for them to know." Elena explained. "I keep it from them only because I love them."

"The same goes for me." Maria admitted. "It was hard not being able to talk to anyone about it. Then I found people I could trust. I think that I trust Jeremy." She told Elena.

"With all this going on, it isn't the right time." Elena told her.

"Alright." Alaric was looking at the girls.

"Look, I think that Stefan is a good guy." He told them "But at the end of the day, he's still a vampire."

"I know it's hard to understand, but he's different." Elena told him. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"He's one of my oldest friends." Maria added. "If it's one thing I know, he wouldn't hurt a human on purpose. Even if he did, he'd regret it." Elena smiled at her.

"Come on, we've got English." Elena said.

"Hey, Maria." Alaric called as she started to leave.

"Yes, Mr. Saltzman?"

"I wanted to thank you for trying to save me the other night." He told her.

"I would've felt bad if anything had happened." Maria admitted. "I hate it when innocent people die in the crossfire. Not all of us are bad, no less than humans, anyway."

"You have an interesting perspective on it."

"Well, when you find out that you're different from your kind, you learn a lot about people." Maria told him.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow." He said. She headed off to catch up with Elena.

"Hey, everything okay?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Maria said. She didn't say anything about Stefan because she didn't want to worry her.

"I'm worried that he might find out soon." Elena said.

"Look, I know that he's had issues in the past." Maria told her. "I know it's not right yet, but he's bound to find out eventually. You can't hide it from him forever."

"I think I should tell him about me." Elena said. "You know, about being adopted."

"Go for it." Maria said. "If you're going to be honest with him, that's probably the first thing you should start with."

That afternoon, she went back to the Boarding House. She looked around. "He's not here. I think we're good." A voice behind her said. Maria turned around and threw Damon back with her powers.

"Don't ever sneak up behind me like that." She told him. "We're on edge enough as it is."

"Okay, okay. Sorry." He slowly got to his feet. "So, how'd it go?"

"It went well." Maria told him. "I'm meeting an old friend at the coffee shop. She's a writer."

"So, you're a bookworm, huh?" Damon asked, smiling.

"I haven't seen her in a long time." Maria told him. "I was going to ask Elena to come with me, but she seemed to be in a hurry after school."

"Well, we could both use a break from this." Damon pointed out.

As they reached the coffee shop, Maria started to feel nervous. "I wonder if she'll remember me."

"Well, you two must've stayed in touch over the years." Damon said.

"You were looking at my phone?"

"There was nothing else to do while my brother was brooding in the house."

"You ever read through my stuff again and I'll tell Stefan about that secret journal you kept during 1950." Maria told him.

"How'd you know about that?" He asked.

"There's a lot you don't know, Damon." She said.

Inside the coffee shop, a young woman was going over some notes. Maria noticed her. "Kristy?"

"Maria, you made it." She told her. "I see you haven't changed much."

"Not like I'm getting any older." Maria laughed.

"It's good to see you again." Kristy said.

"So, what are you planning on writing next?"

"I'm not sure. I've been struggling lately. It's been really hard to focus with everything going on." Kristy told her. "So who's your friend?"

"This is Damon." Maria said. "I've been staying with him and his brother for a few weeks now. Damon, this is the friend I was telling you about."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Kristy." She looked at him. "Have we met before?"

"I don't think so." Damon said. "I'd remember if we did."

"Sorry, it's just you look familiar for some reason." Kristy told him.

"You'd be surprised how often he gets that response." Maria said.

"I should know. I get that one often myself." She pointed out. They laughed.

"So, how long have you known each other?" Damon asked.

"I met Maria when I was just starting out. I had trouble getting inspiration for my first novel." Kristy explained. "One night, she saw me sitting alone in a café and came over to me."

"Kristy seemed really worried and frustrated, so I decided to help her out."

"The way she'd describe the supernatural experiences were so vivid and realistic. It was almost as though she'd actually been through it." Kristy said. "She inspired me to write about it and occasionally helped me come up with ideas on how to improve."

"We've been friends since then." Maria added. "I'm sure you'll come up with something. Here, I want you to have this." She handed her a small necklace with a small rose bead carved in it. "It's a good luck charm. I hope that life gets better for you."

"Thanks, Maria." Kristy said, hugging her. Damon glanced at his phone, then turned back toward them.

"Look, I hate to interrupt, but I need to be on my way." He told them. Maria looked at him. "I'm having some family issues on my own and Elena doesn't know what she's getting involved in."

"I'll be at the boarding house if you need me." Maria told him. "See you later."

"He is so mysterious." Kristy said. "I think maybe I could write about something like that."

"Go for it." Maria said. She noticed her looking at her. "What?"

"You have a crush on him, don't you?"

"Well, kinda." Maria admitted. "He's more like a friend I've known for a while, but he usually keeps to himself and has these defenses up, you know? It'll take some time. I don't want to rush into things."

"I know what that's like." Kristy said. "He doesn't seem like a bad guy, though."

"He's trying to get over his ex." Maria added. "She hurt him pretty bad. I don't want him to ever go through that kind of pain again."

"You're a really good friend to him, Maria." Kristy told her. "Who knows? Maybe one day he'll feel the same way about you." She got up. "I have to go. You've managed to inspire me once again."

"Good to know." Maria said. "I'll call you whenever I can. If you ever need ideas for inspiration, just call me."

After waving good-bye, the girls parted ways. It was only outside when Maria noticed Anna walking around. "Anna!" She called. Anna turned, startled.

"Oh, it's just you." Anna said. "Maria, you scared me."

"Sorry. Are you okay? You seem worried about something."

"I'm worried that the others might try something." Anna told her. "I don't want anyone in town to get hurt. I only wanted to get my mother out of there that night."

"I know you didn't mean for it to happen." Maria said. "But all that matters now is that we need to figure out when they'll strike next."

"I have a pretty good idea, but I'll have to go undercover myself."

"You going to any of the Founder's Day celebrations?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. I'm hoping to straighten things out with…someone." Anna told her.

"Is that why you stayed?" Maria asked.

"I made a mistake before." Anna told her. "I'm not going to let them get hurt because of it."

"Just be careful, Anna." Maria handed her something. "This is my cell number. Call me if you need help or advice."

"Here's mine." Anna quickly entered her number in Maria's phone. "No matter what side we're on, Mary, thanks for being my friend."

"It's what I do best." Maria said. Anna embraced her for a few seconds before turning back and heading down the street.

"I'll call you tomorrow." She told her. Maria turned the opposite way and headed back toward the Boarding House. She knew that even though they were friends again, they were all in for a rough few days.

"I hope I'll be strong enough to get through it all." Maria said as she finished writing in her journal. She put it away and lay back on the bed.


	13. Miss Mystic Falls

Maria sat behind Elena during history class. "Okay, this week we're gonna set outside the regular curriculum for a lesson on local history as we approach founder's day. Apparently the community lead feels it's more important than World War II, but hey what do I know?"

"That is so typical of this town." Maria whispered. Suddenly the door opened, and the others turned around to see a familiar figure.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Well, looks like we will be on full occupancy today. Welcome home Bonnie." She sat down and smiled toward Elena and Maria, but tried to avoid Stefan's gaze. The three of them looked at each other, realizing something was off.

After class, Elena and Maria caught up to her. "Bonnie!"

"Hey, Elena."

"How are you? How's your family?"

"We're dealing, it's been hard." Bonnie said.

"I am so sorry." Maria said. "But it's good to have you back."

"Everyone here really missed you." Elena told her.

"Yeah, I just had so much to deal with after Grams' funeral and, honestly after you told me the tomb spell failed I just didn't really want to come back."

"It wasn't your fault, Bonnie. If anyone's to blame around here, it should be me." Maria told her. "After all, I'm the one who passed out during the spell."

"I hope you'll understand why I called… I wanted you to know before you came home."

"I understand why."

"I know it's been really hard…" Suddenly, Caroline showed rushed over to them.

"Bonnie! Bonnie! Thank god you're home!" She hugged her. "I know we talked everyday but I missed you." Elena looked at her, she seemed hurt. Maria was trying not to laugh and put her hand on Elena's shoulder.

"She's hurt because of the whole tomb thing, but I sense that it goes deeper than that." She told her.

"How are you doing?" Caroline continued.

"Better. You know, glad to be back and trying to keep myself busy."

"Well, I can help with that. Major wardrobe problem. You need to help me pick up the perfect dress for the Founder's court." That got Elena's attention.

"The Founder's court? Did I miss something?" Elena asked.

"The Founder's court! You know, Miss Mystic Falls." Caroline explained. "They announced it today and you and I are both on it."

"Oh my god! We signed for this so long ago… I completely forgot." Elena told them.

"So, are you dropping out then?" Maria was shocked to hear how happy Caroline sounded when she said that.

"I can't." Elena told them. She looked kind of sad.

"Her mom is the one who wanted her to do this." Bonnie explained to them. Maria understood. The others told her about the car crash and how her parents died. Caroline didn't say anything.

"Well, I wish both of you good luck, then." Maria said. "Bonnie, could you help me out in the school library?" The two of them left with Elena and Caroline staring after them.

"Hey, what's up?"

"What's wrong?" Maria asked. "You've been acting kind of distant lately and I can feel how angry and upset you are."

"Look, I can't talk about it, Maria." Bonnie told her. Maria grabbed her arm. Suddenly, she felt a shock pass through her and let go. "Are you okay? You look like you had a vision or something."

"Whoa. That was intense." Maria looked at her. "I know that you're mad and upset, but don't take it out on the others."

"I know I shouldn't, but sometimes my emotion gets the best of me." Bonnie told her. "I can't help it sometimes."

"Just try, okay?" Maria walked away from her.

Later on, she was waiting with Caroline and Bonnie outside. Stefan had asked her to make sure Elena got home safely.

"The Fell cousins don't have a shot and Amber Bradley is only on the court so the pageant doesn't look like its Founding Families, only which of course it is." Caroline was explaining. "So that leaves Elena which totally has a vote since her parents died. How can I compete with that?"

"Very nice, very sensitive."

"Oh I'm sorry, this must sound really unimportant." Caroline said.

"Hey, this competition is a big deal to the girls in this town." Maria said. "One of my friends was going to enter, but pulled out because of medical reasons."

"It's okay, I get it, you want to win."

"Well, my grandmother was Miss Mystic and both of my aunts. My mom is the only one who didn't get the gene and I want this." Caroline told them.

"I totally understand. The whole family legacy thing. Speaking of which…" Maria got cut off as Bonnie literally bumped into Elena and Stefan.

"Hey, how are you?" Stefan asked her. Bonnie looked away uncomfortably. Elena and Stefan looked at each other, then Maria.

"It's been really hard on her." Maria told them.

"I begged Bonnie to have filled in for Matt, he had to work today." Caroline said.

"Bonnie, do you have a minute?" Elena asked.

"We only have 30 minutes for rehearsal." Bonnie pointed out.

"It'll only take a minute, please?" Elena asked. The girls went around the corner.

"Maria, did you hear that?" Stefan asked her so softly no human being would be able to hear.

"What do you mean it isn't worth it?" She heard Elena asking. "You barely said ten words to me and you won't even look at Stefan. Is that what it is? Is it Stefan?"

"Look, Elena, I can't just pretend that everything's okay. Everything my grams did was to protect us from those vampires from the tomb." Bonnie explained. "And now they're out which means she died for nothing."

"I'm so sorry, Bonnie. What can I do to make it better?"

"That just it, there's nothing you can do. I blame him Elena, him and Damon and I'm not gonna put you in a situation where you have to choose sides." Bonnie said. "I'm just having a hard time with it okay?"

Stefan and Maria looked at each other. "No wonder she's so upset."

"Wait, she's not done yet." Stefan told her.

"What about Maria?" Elena asked.

"She tried to re-seal the tomb. She called me after I left. They must've escaped before she did the spell." Bonnie came back into view a few minutes later.

"Bonnie, you need to remember that when you were gone, they were the only ones I could turn to for help." Maria said.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not going to pick sides, but I'm not going to let you hurt them either." Maria told her. She went over to Elena. "Hey, you okay?" She asked.

"I'm confused." Elena told her. "She's my best friend, but I don't want to see anyone get hurt."

"I feel the same way, Elena. But she's the type that distances herself when she's upset. She just needs some time to get over it."

"Maybe, but I don't want to ruin our friendship because of it." Elena said.

A few days later, Maria was at the Founder's Hall for the event. She was wearing an orange dress along with a white sweater over her shoulders. She looked over the area and noticed Damon talking with Anna about something. She listened in.

"I could ask her but you know, you've made it pretty clear that you don't trust us so why should I even bother?"

"Because you want to stay in Mystic Falls and John Gilbert's in town, making that impossible. Find out where it is. He leaves and you can buy your welcome mat." He left her by herself.

"So, Elena's uncle knows about the vampires, doesn't he?" Maria asked.

"He knows about Stefan and me." Damon told her.

"Judging by his popularity, it's safe to say no one here likes him." Maria said.

"Hey, did you know anyone in the past?" Damon asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've had this dream about a girl. It was at the first founder's ball." He told her. "There's this girl wearing a mask over her eyes, so no one knows who she really is."

"She sounds familiar." Maria said.

"Was she a friend of yours?"

"Sort of." Maria told him. "Could you excuse me?" She ran over to the hallway on the bottom floor. It was starting to come back slowly. Suddenly, she heard Anna's voice.

"Seriously Jeremy, what do you know?"

"Everything, I know everything." Maria joined the two of them.

"So, she has no idea you read her journal?" Anna asked.

"She keeps things from me, I'm gonna keep things from her." Jeremy told her.

"I'm guessing you know about me, too, then." Maria said. Jeremy looked over at her.

"Yeah. She couldn't really explain it very well though."

"What are you gonna do now?" Anna asked. "Now that you know everything she's been hiding from you?"

"I don't know. There's a part of me that's so angry, you know, she has covered up what happened to Vicki and erased my memory." Jeremy said. "But there's this other part of me that's glad. I… I don't want to remember Vicki like that."

"As a monster?"

"No, as someone who wanted to hurt me." Jeremy told them.

"Look, please don't be angry that I lied to you." Maria said. "I was trying to keep a low profile."

"I understand. You know, Elena really thinks of you as a friend." Jeremy told her. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still a little mad at her, but considering Bonnie's been avoiding her…"

"You know about that?"

"Yeah, she seemed upset the other day so I asked."

"When I met you, you were just a part of my plan to get my mother back but then things changed… All the time we spent together… I would never do anything to hurt you, not now." Anna told him. "You know that right?"

"Yeah I know that."

"You better go catch up with your aunt." Maria told him. "I need to speak with Anna alone."

"Hey."

"So, why are you still hanging around town after all the stuff that's gone down?" Maria asked.

"Look, you heard everything back there, right? When I was with Jeremy?" Anna asked her.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything. I thought you were just…"

"You were right before. It was wrong to use innocent humans." Anna told her. "But I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Especially Jeremy."

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Maria realized.

"I am." Anna admitted. "I should find my mother. According to your boyfriend, she has a device that the council is after."

"He isn't my boyfriend." Maria told her as she left. She watched as Elena came downstairs. It was at that second she noticed that Stefan was missing. She could tell this wasn't a good sign. She looked over at Damon. They looked at each other from across the room. She nodded toward him. He went over to escort Elena.

"So, what's going on?" She turned around in surprise.

"Jeremy, don't do that. You scared me."

"I didn't think you scared easy."

"Rule number one, you never sneak up on someone that could possibly kill you." Maria told him.

"Sorry. So, you're Anna's friend?"

"In my defense, I was trying to stop her." Maria explained.

"I know. She wrote about it." Jeremy explained. The two of them went over to Aunt Jenna. Maria watched Elena and Damon dancing. She couldn't help but wonder where Stefan was. It wasn't until that evening that she got her answer.

"Hey, you okay?" Maria asked.

"I have bad news, but Elena needs to hear it too." Damon told her.

"So, without further due it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Caroline Forbes!"

"I guess it really does run in her family." Maria said.

"Congratulations." Elena told her.

"I actually won" Caroline smiled. The two hugged. Caroline went on stage. Elena walked off to find Damon and Maria waiting for her.

"What is it, did you find him?" Elena asked.

"There were signs of struggling in the upstairs bathroom." Damon told them. "There was blood and that Amber girl is missing."

"Oh my god! He wouldn't hurt her, he won't!" Elena said.

"Wait, he's still on human blood?" Maria asked.

"Let's just find him, okay? Let's get your coat come on!" The three of them took off running. Bonnie, who had been watching, followed them. They all ran off toward the forest.

"Bonnie, I know you're following us." Maria shouted over the wind. "We could probably use your help."

"That's why I'm here." Bonnie told her. The four of them arrived to see a girl and Stefan.

"Stefan!" Elena called out. He let go of the girl. She ran off.

"Stefan, come on get control." Damon said. Maria realized he was trying to reach through to him. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn't going to work. He didn't have the ability to really break through to him. The next thing she knew, he had been thrown into a tree. She sped over to help him up.

"Stefan, stop it!" Elena yelled. Suddenly, he held his head. Maria glanced over and saw Bonnie staring at him.

"You okay?" She asked Damon. He nodded, brushing dirt of his clothes. Elena noticed what Bonnie was doing. Maria tried to use her thoughts to reach Stefan. "Just relax. Everything's going to be fine. We'll take care of things." He finally noticed the group standing there.

"It's okay Stefan." Damon told him. Maria put her hand on her forehead. She knew her hold wasn't going to last. Stefan ran off just as she fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked.

"Tried to use too much energy at once." Maria told her. "I'll be fine once I…you know."

Damon helped her over to a tree that had fallen. "They'll be here soon." He told her. "You should try to rest here."

"Thanks." Maria said. "So, any new details on this mystery girl?"

"None that I haven't told you about already. Though I sort of remembered her during that dance."

"Well, if you met her before you turned, that's not surprising." Maria pointed out. "You did say it was the first Founder's party. You better go. They're here."

"You'll be okay?" She nodded. He got up and helped the girls with Amber. Maria listened in.

"She doesn't remember what happened."

"It's a good thing the girls got here before I did, she lost a lot of blood." Damon told her.

"You didn't see anything?"

"No, we just found her and called Damon." Elena explained.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Bonnie asked.

"It looks like it." Maria let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Why don't you girls don't get back to the party? Damon and I can take it from here."

"Okay." Elena and Bonnie walked off.

"You okay?" Bonnie asked her.

"Yeah. Look, I know you're upset about this." Maria told her.

"It's going to take a while to process." Bonnie said. "You want to stay over tonight?"

"I'd love to, but I think that they're going to need my help." Maria told her. "I'll come by when things get back to normal." They headed over to her car. Elena joined up with them.

"Bonnie, can we talk about this?" Elena asked.

"There's nothing to talk about." She told her.

"Bonnie, please."

"I told you I wasn't gonna make you choose but I need to make the choice for myself. Please just leave me alone." Bonnie said. She glanced over at Maria apologetically. "I need time to get through this."

"I understand." Maria told her. Bonnie got into her car. "You okay?" She turned to Elena.

"Not really."

"She needs to be alone right now." Maria said. "Anyway, we can't worry about it now. Your boyfriend needs help."

"I know what I have to do." Elena told her.

"I'll meet you at the Boarding House." Maria said. She walked toward the woods, then hesitated. She glanced to make sure no one was looking before taking off.

A few hours later, Maria was in her room. "You really should start knocking if you're going to do that." She said. Damon was standing in the doorway.

"I didn't think it mattered."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Maria asked.

"I thought you already knew." He said. "You can usually read thoughts…"

"Emotions, not thoughts." Maria corrected. "There's a difference." Suddenly, they heard a bang from a few doors down. They looked at each other and ran toward the room. Elena was okay and Stefan was on the ground. "Let me guess, vervain?" She nodded.

"Sure you want to do this?" Damon asked.

"I'm sure." Elena said. They placed him in a small cell downstairs.

"There's no guarantee it's going to work." Damon told her.

"It has to." She said.

"We'll be here to help." Maria said. Damon started to leave.

"Coming?"

"I'm gonna stay here." Elena told him. She sat down nearby. Damon sat down and sat near her.

"I'll come down in a few hours." Maria told them. "This might take a while."

"Thanks." Elena said. Maria went into the living room and sat on the couch. She really hoped this plan would work, otherwise, they were all in trouble.


	14. Empathy and Trust

A few hours later, Maria went downstairs to take over Elena's watch. "You need to get some rest. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Okay." Elena told her. She turned to Damon. "You mind if I stay in his room?"

"Of course not." Elena headed upstairs.

"You holding up okay?" Maria asked.

"He's still out of it. He'll probably be up in the morning." Damon told her. "Honestly, I'm a little worried it could blow our cover."

"Are you sure that's the only reason you're worried?" Maria asked.

"Aren't you up a little late?"

"I used to work a night shift a few years back." Maria told him.

In the morning, Elena came back downstairs. Stefan was still resting when she came down. "He's awake, but still a little weak." Maria said. Elena looked in on him.

"It's so hard to see him locked up like this." She admitted.

"You're the one who locked him up." Damon pointed out.

"You helped." Elena shot back.

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people. While the town was looking for vampires, now, could I?"

"It had nothing to do with you actually caring about him."

"Your thing, not mine."

"Right." Maria said. "So, you weren't concerned when I tried to reach him in his sleep."

"Well, he's in a vulnerable position, you know." Elena pointed out.

"Maybe we should give him some space." Maria suggested. "We shouldn't all be here when he gets up." The three of them headed back upstairs. She took one last glance at him before heading up. As she walked upstairs, she had a memory of the night of the Founder's Ball.

It was dark out, Maria had hidden under the window of her house. "Mary, are you okay?" Anna asked her.

"Yes. Thank you for helping me. I know we're both risking a lot." She told her. "What if your mother sees me?"

"That's why I worked on this." Anna gave her an orange mask. "This way, no one will recognize your face."

"You're a great friend, Anna." Maria told her.

"You better hurry if you don't want to be late." Anna told her. "I know a shortcut. Come on."

In the living room, Damon was looking at some kind of watch. Maria recognized it. "Why do you have that?"

"Pearlgave it to me. As long as her uncle John doesn't get it, we should be safe." Just then Elena walked into the room.

"Did you ever figure out what that is?" She asked.

"Nope. Whatever it is, it doesn't work."

"Pearldidn't say anything else about it?"

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but it was a pocket watch." He explained. "That Johnathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist. Have you spoken to your uncle lately?"

"I've been avoiding him, actually." Elena admitted. "That, and I've been here most nights."

"So, you'll be here again tonight?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes. You're a complete nuisance." Maria lightly punched him in the arm.

"Ignore him. I like when you stay over here. It's better than having no one except for them to talk with." Elena laughed.

"See you later." She told them. She left, leaving the other two.

"Why do you always pretend not to care around her?" Maria asked.

"What makes you think that I'm pretending?" Damon told her.

"I've been around as long as you have and I've seen you around." Maria said. "I used to think I was imagining things. I know you're worried about him. So am I."

"I still don't think this will work." Damon admitted.

"Maybe I there's something I could try. But I'm not sure it'll work if he doesn't want my help." She told him.

"I'm going to check on him." He got up to leave the room. Maria headed upstairs. She was angry with herself for not being able to do anything at the moment. She decided to write in her journal.

Dear Diary,

I have no idea why my powers aren't working like they should. Maybe it's because I haven't used this one in a long time. Either way, I'm not going to be able to do this alone. Not this time.

Maria sighed and put it away in her drawer. She was getting really tired of feeling like this and she had no idea what was blocking her this time. She went back downstairs. Damon hung up.

"How is he?" Maria asked.

"Just got off the phone with the teacher and Elena."

"Wait, you're friends with him now?"

"Not exactly. This time, I think I know where we can find his ex-wife."

"Why are you helping all of a sudden?"

"Well, I'm the one who turned her."

"So, how's he doing?"

"He's refusing to drink anything." Damon told her.

"That's not good." Maria said. "What are we supposed to do?"

"It's his choice, Maria. Besides, if we try to force it, it's not going to be pretty." Maria just nodded. She remembered from one of Lexi's stories. It wasn't long before Elena returned. She came upstairs after seeing Stefan.

"This is serious."

"I know, Elena. I've never dealt with it before." Maria told her.

"I'm heading out. You two don't mind, do you?" Damon asked.

"Of course not." Elena said.

"Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Damon told Maria.

"I can handle it from here, Damon." Maria said. She hoped she could work around whatever was blocking her powers.

"He seemed like he was in a lot of pain." Elena told them.

"It'll pass once he…"

"She didn't mean that kind of pain, Damon." Maria said.

"I won't be long." He told them. "If there's anything you can do…" He left them staring at each other.

"I can't believe him sometimes." Elena said.

"It's just easier for him to deal this way." Maria told her. "But we can't worry about that now. Let's focus on one Salvatore at a time, okay?" Elena nodded and headed toward the stairs. Maria went with her.

"You know, Damon hasn't fed me vervain in a while. I could be at those bars in flash, and you'd be dead." Stefan pointed out.

"Yeah, you could. But you won't." Elena pointed out.

"Especially not while I'm here." Maria said, coming out from behind Elena.

"Please just go away. I don't want you here." He told them. Maria went inside. Elena followed behind her. "What are you doing? Get out of here."

"No."

"You're taking a stupid risk. I could hurt you." Stefan told Elena.

"Then I'm stupid." Elena said. "You need to drink this."

"Stefan, she's right. You know it." Maria added.

"Elena, get out of here, or you'll regret it." Everything seemed to explode at once. Somehow, Maria had gotten in front of Elena.

"Look, I don't want to fight you, Stefan, but I will if I have to!" Maria told him, her voice rising with every word. They both stared at her. "Now could you both just calm down?" They were both staring at her. In all the years he'd known Maria, Stefan had never seen her lose her temper. A few minutes later, they were all sitting down.

"Sorry. I kinda lose it once in a while." Maria explained.

"It's alright. We all do." Elena said. "I know it's hard on you, too." Maria looked over to Stefan. She grabbed his hand.

"We can help you, Stefan. But you have to let us." She told him. He looked over at them, then turned away. Elena looked to Maria. She felt somewhat better about the situation with her being there.

"Talk to me, Stefan. Why are you doing this?" Elena asked.

"I'm making the decision I should have made years ago." He told her.

"What are you talking about?"

"You have to feed in order to complete the transition."

"I know that."

"It was a choice I shouldn't have made." Stefan said.

"If you hadn't, you wouldn't have met me." Maria pointed out.

"I don't regret that, but this wasn't a good idea. You see…" He explained how he accidentally killed his father before completing the transition.

"Whoa." Maria said. "I'm sorry. I never knew that."

"How can you even look at me right now?" Stefan asked Elena.

"You need to be able talk about these things, Stefan. I need to hear them." Elena told him.

"Yeah. Besides, we've been friends for years and I really think I can help." Maria said.

"Come upstairs. We can talk about it more, and we'll keep talking as long as you need." Elena said. "All of us."

"You're so sure I'm ready." Stefan said.

"And when you feel the same way... I'll be upstairs." Elena told him. She left the room.

"Stefan, I know it's hard right now." Maria told him. "But you can't give up just because of one mistake. I'll be waiting upstairs when you need me." When she entered the living room, Elena was waiting for her.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm trying to reach out to him." Maria said. "I have no idea what was blocking my empathy abilities the other day, but I'm going to keep trying till it works."

A few minutes later, Damon entered the room. "Ugh. God. You're still here?"

"Damon, this is really not the time." Maria told him.

"Were you expecting anything else?" Elena asked.

"Well, no." Maria admitted.

"So, how was the "errand"?"

"Futile. Although, I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis. Has Stefan eaten yet?"

"I thought you didn't care."

"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity."

"Will you quit with the 'I don't care' act?" Maria told him. "I can tell when you're lying, Damon."

"I think he's getting there. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with." Elena explained. "And it doesn't help that you've spent the last 145 years punishing him for Katherine getting caught."

"This is my fault now?"

"No, it's no one's fault, Damon. I'm just... saying you're not exactly innocent. You've made it your life's mission to make him miserable." Elena pointed out.

"Let me ask you a question. In all this important soul-searching and cleansing of the demons of Stefan's past, did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?" Damon asked her.

"He said there was more."

"Yeah. That's an understatement."

"Damon. Tell me."

"Honestly, I always wondered what happened." Maria told them.

"Okay." Damon said. He explained how Stefan forced him to turn into a vampire. "From the moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person. I suppose I should thank him. It's been a hell of a ride."

"Oh, my God. He said he wanted to die. That's why he won't feed. Now I understand why, but..." Elena cut off.

"His choice. If he's stupid enough to make it, so be it." Damon told her. Maria looked at him and shook her head. He really was pretending to hate him.

"Don't do that. Ok? Don't pretend like you don't care." Elena left the room.

"This isn't going well." Maria said. "I'm going to make sure she's okay." When she stepped into the hall, she saw Elena. Fear was written all over her face. "What's wrong?"

"Maria." Elena showed something to her. It was a blue stone with an S on it. Stefan's ring.

"We better find him. Come on!" Maria told her. The two of them ran out of the house.

"I can't believe Damon sometimes. He's such a jerk." Elena said.

"He's not as bad as you think he is, Elena." Maria said.

"Why do you always defend him?" Elena asked.

"Because he's the one who saved my life." Maria told her. "You've heard about them today, now it's my turn to tell my story." She explained on the way, with her remembering every detail about the house fire in 1864.

Flashback. There were flames everywhere. Maria's dress was a dusty grey-blue or white color, due to the ashes. The fire spread in the room. She was scared. There was no one she could call for help.

Outside, Damon was with a small group of people. "Is that everyone?" He asked.

"Our sister, she's still trapped inside." One of them told him.

In the house, Maria started coughing. She knew she was going to die. The heat from the flames were getting more intense. She couldn't see anything clearly. She managed to stand up, somehow. She had the feeling she wasn't alone. "Who's there?" She managed. She see a silhouette, but that was it.

"I'm here to help." She heard him respond. "Where are you?"

"I'm stuck in the back corner!" The next thing she knew, she was somehow out of harm's way. The fire continue to spread behind them as they stood by an open window. She looked up to see Damon. She was surprised and relieved at the same time. She thought he died.

"There's no way out!" Maria shouted over the roar of the fire.

"Do you trust me?" Damon asked. She nodded. "Then hang on tight." She grabbed onto him and he helped support her. Then he jumped out the window and carried her to an alley a little further away. He looked down and saw that she had passed out in his arms.

"Are you okay, Miss?" He asked her. Maria opened her eyes and managed to stand up.

"You saved me." She said.

"Thank goodness you're not hurt." Damon told her. He started to leave. Maria noticed him wince. She looked at the back of his shirt and gasped. He was burned badly.

"You're hurt." Maria told him. "These burn marks are really bad."

"I'll get better eventually." He told her. But he didn't have to say that for her to know what he was.

"I can help." Maria said. "I know you're secret."

"I can't. I could end up hurting you." He turned to go. Somehow, when his back was turned, she had cut her wrist. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"You saved me today." Maria pointed out. "It's my turn to save you." She held her wrist with her other hand. It didn't hurt, but it felt a little numb. Reluctantly, Damon drank from her wrist. They both pulled away after a few minutes. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Thank you." Damon said after a moment of silence.

"You're welcome." Maria told him. They looked at each other for a moment, then he walked away. Maria left to catch up with the rest of Emily's family. Unfortunately, neither of them knew at the time she had also been changed.

"He saved you?" Elena said.

"I know, hard to believe." Maria told her. "But he doesn't remember that. Plus, I've kept an eye on him over the years. It's just easier for him to deal with the pain like this. Pushing us away is the only defense he knows." Elena looked at her. She had never thought of it in that way before.

"You really think Stefan's out here somewhere?" She asked, remembering that she was still holding his daylight ring.

"Of course. He used to come here when he wanted to be alone." Maria explained.

"I hope we're not too late." Elena said. "If we don't get there before sunrise…"

"I'd speed us over, but then you'd pass out before we could save him." Maria told her. They reached the edge of the quarry. At first, Elena couldn't see anything in the darkness. Then Maria motioned over to the shadows, indicating toward a figure.

"Stefan!" Elena called. The two of them walked over to him. "Damon told me the rest of the story. I thought I might find you here."

"I should have died that night, just like I had chosen. I should have let Damon die, too." He told them.

"If either of you had died, I wouldn't be here right now." Maria pointed out. "In 1864, he saved me from a house fire."

"If you die now, it's not gonna change what happened." Elena added.

"Every single person that's been hurt...Every single life that's been lost, it's because of me."

"The night that my parents died...I blew off family night so that I could go off to some party." Elena explained. "I ended up getting stranded, and they had to come pick me up. That's why we ended up in the car atWickeryBridge. And that's why they died. Our actions are what set things in motion. But we have to live with that." Maria took a deep breath and focused on Stefan. Whatever had blocked her before was gone now.

"I made a choice, Elena. And because of that choice, a lot of people were hurt." Stefan said.

"You also made a choice to stop, to reject the person that the blood made you. You made a choice to be good, Stefan." Elena pointed out. "That's the person who jumped in the water to save the family whose car had driven off the bridge."

"Please. Don't make this all ok."

"That's the person who saved my life." Elena continued.

"Stefan, you're not the only one with that same problem." Maria told him. "When I found out what happened to me, it was hard, too. There are times where I almost hurt innocent people. But with help from my friends, I was able to control it." She looked directly at him. "Let us help you now." In that instant, Stefan felt some of his pain and fear vanish. Elena noticed and then noticed she was squeezing Maria's hand.

"You don't understand, Elena." He told her. He sounded a little more calm now.

"Then tell me." Elena said.

"It hurts me. It hurts me, knowing what I've done, and that pain...That pain is with me all the time." Stefan told them. Maria gave him a look, encouraging him to continue. "And every day, I think that if I just...If just give myself over to the blood, I can make that pain stop. It would be that easy, and every day, I fight that. And I am so terrified that one day, I'm not gonna want to fight that anymore, Elena. And the next time I hurt somebody...It could be you."

"There will be no next time." Elena said. Maria let go of Elena's hand and a rush of energy leave her slightly. She looked at her again, realizing.

"You don't know that." Stefan pointed out.

"Maybe I don't. But what I do know is that you can take this, throw it in the quarry, and let the sun rise. Or you could take this ring and put it on and keep fighting." Elena told him. She handed him his ring. Then she kissed him lightly. "It's your choice." The girls started walking away.

Maria noticed her brush away at a stray tear that fell. "We did our best, Elena." She told her. "The rest is up to him." She tried to help support her.

"Elena." The girls turned around. Stefan put his ring back on. Then he walked over to Elena. Maria turned away and walked back to the car, not wanting to interrupt their make-out session. She waited in the backseat of the car until they were ready to head back.

"Sorry about…"

"Don't be. It's fine." Maria told them. "I know what it's like when you're in love with someone. I have dated before you know."

"We should get back. It's getting kind of late." Stefan pointed out. Elena started the car and they headed back to the Boarding House.

Maria walked into the living room. "Are you okay?"

"I've been worse." Damon pointed out. "How'd it go?" She heard Elena and Stefan come in.

"I'll be upstairs, okay?" Elena told him.

"Okay."

"I'll be with Elena if either of you need me." Maria told the guys. "And Stefan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're still here."

"Thanks to you guys."

"See you in a few minutes." Maria told him. "By the way, if you ever take this off again," She held up his hand with the ring on it. "I will kill you myself, got it?"

"Well, I have you to remind me."

Maria went up and found Elena in Stefan's room. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm glad we were able to help him." Elena said. "By the way, what did you do back there?"

"Remember how I said I could use empathy?" Maria asked. "That's exactly what I did. It's rare when a witch has the ability to use it to help heal others. I think it's partly why I'm half-vampire."

"So when we were talking…"

"I used empathy to remove some of his pain and guilt." Maria told her.

"How did I feel that?" Elena asked.

"When one empathic person joins with another one, the stronger it is." Maria explained. "One of things I noticed is that you're a very empathic person, Elena."

"Are you saying that I helped you with this?"

"Yes." Maria said. "It doesn't have to be another witch. It can be anyone."

"How'd you know it would work?" Elena asked

"I didn't. I just hoped it would."

By the time Stefan showed up, the girls were laughing. "No way, that really happened?" Elena said.

"It's all true." Maria told her.

"Am I interrupting?" Stefan asked.

"Not at all. I was just telling Elena about that time we went toItalywith Lexi."

"You didn't."

"I did."

"Oh, man. I swore Lex to secrecy about that." Stefan said.

"Well, it sounded really…interesting." Elena said.

"That's nothing. You should've been there when we went toSpain." Maria's eyes went wide.

"Tell me you do not still have that embarrassing picture!"

"Yeah, actually, I do."

"If you show her, I swear I will haunt you for the rest of your life, Stefan!" Maria said.

"Well, what happened?"

"Lexi had the bright idea of wanting us to blend in with the locals." Maria said.

"Yeah, that was not one of the best ideas she had. Maria went along with it and the rest is history." Stefan told her. Elena looked at them, suspicious.

"Oh, fine." Maria said. "We somehow ended up in a girls' maraca band. Worst day of my life."

"No way." Elena said. "I feel really sorry that you got dragged into that."

"If you show her the pictures, you are dead." Maria whispered to Stefan.

"Okay." Stefan said. "As long as you don't tell her any other embarrassing things."

"Okay." Maria told him. "I'll just leave you two alone." She left the room and headed toward her own. She picked up her cell phone and called Bonnie. "Hey, how are you?"

"I've been helping Caroline at school." Bonnie told her. "I haven't heard from you all day."

"Sorry. I just wanted to see how you were. Have there been any…"

"No. It's been quiet."

"Look, we should all sort this out." Maria said. "Can we meet at the Grill sometime tomorrow?"

"Can we make it the next day?" Bonnie asked. "I need to pick up my car tomorrow. That's why I was with Care all day."

"Okay. I'll see you then." Maria said. "And promise me you won't migraine me when I come in the door?"

"I won't. You're the one who taught me, remember."

"Right. See you." She hung up her phone and turned to her journal before going to sleep.

Dear Diary,

We made some progress today. Everything is back to normal except for the whole tomb vampire problem, but we'll manage it somehow. My empathic powers are working again. I think my fear for what would've happened if we hadn't been able to do anything was preventing me from using it before. Elena is strong and she cares for others just as deeply as I do. She's a great friend and we wouldn't have been able to save Stefan without her. Those who say that humanity is a weakness is wrong. It's not a weakness, it's what makes us strong.


	15. Teamwork

A few days later, the group was at the Grill. "Hey, Maria." Elena said. "How was class today?"

"It could've gone a lot better." Maria said. "It's been a while since I've been in school."

"It'll get easier eventually." Stefan pointed out.

"I'm glad I'm the only one of us that isn't going to high school." Damon said. "Some of us like not having to worry about blending in."

"Hey, it really isn't that bad." Maria said. "Besides, it's been a while since I've had friends I could talk to." She noticed a girl sitting nearby. The girl waved to her.

"So, what's our plan for dealing with them?" Stefan asked.

"How should I know? According to the witch," Damon told him. "Things have been quiet. We just wait for them to make their next move."

"That's not a good idea, Damon."

"Someone could get hurt." Elena added.

Maria walked over to the girl and looked at her. "Melissa?" She whispered. The girl nodded, as though she heard her.

"I'm sure Maria would disagree with this plan, too." Elena said.

"I know she would. She always defended innocents." Stefan told her.

"Well, why don't we ask her?" Damon said. "Uh, Maria? Are you still with us?"

Maria brought her friend over to them. "Guys, this is my friend, Melissa." Melissa waved to them.

"It's nice to meet you." Elena told her. Melissa did a series of hand movements.

"She said it's nice to meet you, too." Maria said. She turned to Melissa, spelling out the names of the others and gesturing to each one as she did. Melissa nodded, then did another set of movements. Maria responded with her own set.

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Damon asked. "Why is she…"

"Are you really that stupid?" Elena asked.

"Even I get it." Stefan told him. Melissa left and Maria turned back to the group.

"I'm meeting her in the park later." She told them.

"What was all that? Can she not talk or something?" Damon asked.

"I don't know." Maria told him.

"So then what was the silent communication about." He lowered his voice in case she overheard them.

"You don't have to lower your voice." Maria told him. "She can't hear you."

"She's right over there."

"Damon, you're not listening. She can't _hear_ you." Maria said. "Just tell him. You two picked up on it easily."

"She's deaf." Elena said. "She can only communicate using sign language."

"Right." Maria said. "I met her a couple years ago. I picked up on it right away and helped her when she struggled with it."

"You taught ASL?" Stefan asked.

"Only for a couple months." Maria told them. "I'll see you guys later." As she left, she almost bumped into Bonnie. "Oh, sorry."

"Still not looking where you're going." Bonnie said. "At least that hasn't changed."

"Yeah, I know it's been weird over the past few weeks, but you really should put this situation behind you." Maria told her.

"I'm trying, but it's hard."

"We'll be at the park later." Maria said. "You're free to meet us if you want."

"I was going to head there to practice some spells anyway." Bonnie told her.

A few hours later, Maria went to the park. Melissa was sitting on a bench, reading a book. She looked for Bonnie. She was behind a tree, trying to get a flower to bloom. Maria went over to Melissa and sat next to her. She noticed and closed her book. "How have you been?" Maria signed to her.

"Nothing new." Melissa signed back. "I'm reading this for my book report." She showed her the book.

"If you need help, you know I'm here." Maria signed. Melissa signed "thank you", then Maria heard a twig snap. She turned to see if Bonnie was still there. It seemed like she didn't hear anything.

"Well, what's fine young lady like you doing out here?" A man asked her.

"I'm afraid my friend here can't understand you." Maria told him. "She's not from around here." Melissa looked at her in confusion. Maria signed for her to stay where she was until she said to move. Melissa nodded.

"I apologize. I'd be happy to show her around town, if you know what I mean. My friends and I know our way around pretty well."

"I'm sure you do." Maria said. At that moment, she stood up and kicked him hard, sending him flying into a tree. Melissa turned to her. Forgetting she couldn't hear, Maria turned to Melissa. "Run!" She yelled. Melissa seemed to understand and ran off.

Surely enough, three more of the guys showed up. "Why you little…" Maria backed up to the tree near Bonnie, pretending to surrender.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm a bit of a clutz." She told them. Bonnie turned and saw her surrounded. Silently, she made the leaves from the tree fall off on top of them.

"That won't keep them down for long!"

"We're going to need back-up, you know!" Maria said as they ran into town. She searched for Melissa, but didn't see her.

"I hate when you're right sometimes." Bonnie said. Maria quickly dialed the others.

"Maria. What's up?"

"The tomb vampires are after Melissa!" Maria said. "Bonnie and I can't handle them alone!"

"Where are you guys?"

"We're in town. Melissa's here somewhere. If you find her, please do something!" Maria told them.

"So, what is it about this girl?" Bonnie asked.

"She's an ASL student." Maria explained. "She's one of the few human friends I have."

"I don't like working with the others, but I'll help." Bonnie told her.

In town, Melissa was still running. She looked around but didn't see anyone. Suddenly, two of them appeared in front of her. "Maybe kidnapping her will cause her friends to come to the rescue." One of them said.

"And maybe you should just get lost." They turned around and were instantly taken down. Melissa stood still, looking at Damon. "Are you okay?" When she didn't respond, he remembered. "Oh, right. I forgot."

"Is she okay?" Elena asked as she and Stefan joined him.

"Yeah. I think she's just in shock." He told them.

"We better get her out of here." Stefan pointed out.

"Guys!" Maria and Bonnie ran toward them.

"Maria, what's…" Elena began.

"Bonnie, on her left!" Elena turned and noticed one of the tomb vampires behind her. Bonnie quickly used her migraine spell on him, knocking him out.

"That was a close one." Bonnie said. "Elena, are you okay?"

"I will be." Elena told her. "Right now, we have to get Melissa out of here."

A few minutes later, the group was sitting around the Boarding House. "What would the tomb vampires want with Melissa?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know. Maybe they're just out hunting." Maria suggested.

"I don't think so." Bonnie said. "It seemed more like they wanted to…" She cut herself off and looked at Melissa.

"Relax, she can't hear you, remember?" Maria said. "But I think really it could've been anyone they're after. She's only here for today. She's heading back to her school in the morning."

"So, how do we…" Suddenly, one of the windows broke and three of the tomb vampires entered the room.

"Elena, get out of here." Bonnie said.

"What good'll that do? They'll probably come after me anyway." She pointed out.

"I've got you're back." Maria told her. "Let's just get this over with already." They all started fighting them off, using whatever spells or weapons they could. Stefan managed to pin one, but before he could stake him, he was thrown into a wall.

"Hey!" Suddenly, the vampire was staked from behind. "No one messes with my little brother except for me." Damon told him.

"I could use a little help over here!" Maria said, trying to take down one of them. "Wait, I've got it. You two stand back." She took out five leaves and threw them at the vampire in front of her. Then she set them on fire.

"What was that?" Elena asked.

"Another time. We've got one more to take out." Suddenly, she noticed something off. "Melissa!" Her friend was trying to defend herself alone and was losing. She had a bad injury in her arm and collapsed in front of her.

"Leave her alone!" Maria shouted at him. Bonnie used the migraine spell again, giving the others enough time to finish him off.

"That should take care of him." Damon said. He turned to Bonnie. "I know we're not on the best terms right now, but thanks for your help."

"I'll always be willing to fight if someone innocent is at stake." Bonnie told him. "But this doesn't change how I feel about you guys."

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

"Bonnie, thank you." Stefan said. "We may have died if you hadn't helped."

"Guys, I think this is serious." Elena caught the group's attention. Melissa was unconscious on the ground.

"Melissa, please wake up." Maria said. The others rushed over to her. "I can still hear her heart beating, but I don't know if she'll make it."

"Isn't there anything we can do to save her?" Bonnie asked.

"I'll get some towls. Maybe we can stop the bleeding." Stefan got up to leave.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Maria said. She picked up a small knife lying on the table and cut her wrist with it. She winced, then went over to Melissa. The others watched as her injury healed. She woke up for few seconds. "Are you okay?" Maria signed.

"Yes, but what happened?" She signed back. Maria just held her for a moment.

"Everything's fine. Just get some sleep." She signed to her.

A few hours later, Melissa was asleep on the couch. "She's okay. She just needs a little rest." Maria told them.

"How did you know it would work?" Bonnie asked.

"I didn't. It's been a while since I've used that ability."

"What you did today, for your friend, it was really brave of you." Damon told her.

"He's right, you know." Stefan added. "Not many of us would've been able to save someone like her."

"Please, you're always saving Elena." Maria pointed out.

"I am learning how to fight back, you know." Elena said. They all turned to where Melissa was sleeping.

"You know, you really are a strong person. I sort of respect you for it." Damon said.

"Thanks." Maria said. Suddenly, she felt herself starting to change. "Oh, no. Not here." She turned away from the group.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Please just leave." She told them, not turning around. "I don't want any of you to see me this way."

"Maria…" Bonnie began.

"Just leave me alone, Bonnie."

"Hey." She felt a hand come down on her shoulder. "Maria, it's okay. We've all been through this at some point."

"He's right, you know." Stefan told her.

"If it's one thing you've taught us, it's that we shouldn't hide who we are. At least, between the five of us." Damon said. Maria sighed. She still had a needle in her pocket. Reluctantly, she turned around to face Damon. The girls gasped. Her eye color had turned black and tiny veins appeared under her eyes. Damon, being the closest one to her, noticed there were tears in them. She looked really sad.

"Trust me, I've seen worse." He told her, brushing one of her tears away.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" She turned her head away from him.

"No." He told her. She could tell he meant it this time. "Maria, you're beautiful. You'd never look bad to me." Maria closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were blue again and her veins were gone.

"Thank you." Maria said. The others watched as the two embraced slowly. They turned to each other in surprise.

The next day, Maria and the others dropped Melissa off. "I'll be here whenever you need me." Maria signed to her.

"Tell the others I said thanks." Melissa signed. "You like that guy, don't you?"

Maria turned around. The others were watching them. She crossed her arms up in front of her chest, resting her hands on her shoulders. Melissa embraced her.

"Good luck with everything." She signed. Maria waved good-bye to her, and then returned to the others.

"So, everything okay?" Damon asked.

"Yeah." Maria said. "I think everything will be fine, once we can get rid of the other tomb vampires."

"Hopefully they won't try anything at the Founder's celebration tomorrow." Stefan said.

"Wait, that's tomorrow?" Maria asked. "I have a really bad feeling about this."

Dear Diary,

Today I've discovered that everything isn't what it seems. Our little team seems to be on shaky ground right now, but hopefully we'll work things out with Bonnie. Damon really helped me out today. I honestly don't know what I would've done if he hadn't been there. I never realized how much I liked him until now. But I'm not going to get in the way. I know he has feelings for someone else. It's better to wait for him to figure it out on his own.


	16. Founder's Day

Maria woke up not remembering where she was. "Are you okay?" She turned. Bonnie was next to her. She didn't want to deal with the guys arguing last night, so she had stayed over at her place.

"Yeah, it's just been a rough week."

"I know." Bonnie looked away from her. She seemed sad.

"Bonnie? What's going on?"

"I lied to Elena about something." Bonnie told her. "And I'm worried about what'll happen when she finds out."

"I'm sure whatever it is, she'll forgive you eventually." Maria pointed out. "You two are close."

"I guess we should get going if we don't want to be late for the Founder's parade."

After getting dressed, Maria got to the school a little later than Bonnie did. When she finally spotted her, she was taking a picture of Caroline and Matt. It didn't take her long to find Stefan. "Hey, you made it."

"Like I'd really miss this event." Maria pointed out. "Though, I may have if Bonnie hadn't waken me up. So, we still waiting forLena?"

"She should be here soon."

"Well, look at you. All retro." Maria jumped. She hadn't heard Damon come up behind them.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked.

"After last night, I am so not dealing with this again." Maria turned away from the guys and focused on trying to find Elena in the crowd. She didn't see any sign of her. Just when she was about to give up, a movement caught her eye. She caught the rest of what they were saying.

"Elena is not Katherine."

"You're right, she's not."

"Are you sure about that?" Maria asked. The guys both turned. Elena was dressed exactly like Katherine.

"Hey."

"You look great, Elena." Maria said, deciding to speak up.

"Thanks. I don't see how women wore these things back then." Elena told her.

"It wasn't pleasant, I'll tell you that much."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Stefan asked. He and Elena walked off.

"So, what brings you here?" Maria asked Damon.

"Can't a guy attend an event just for the heck of it?" Maria looked at him confused. "Look, my brother already thinks that I plan to move in on his girlfriend."

"He's got esteem issues. You know that. Why do you mess with him?"

"Because he's my brother." Damon told her. "It's not personal. Except for the Katherine thing, maybe."

"Well, I'll see you at the parade then." Maria said as he walked off. Just then she heard Elena.

"He's never going to forgive me." She found where they were talking.

"He's your brother, he'll forgive you. Just give him some time." Stefan told her. At that moment, Jeremy walked by. She grabbed him by the arm.

"Whoa! What's wrong with you?"

"Me? What about you?" Maria pointed out.

"I can't help but feel angry at her, Mar." Jeremy told her. "She had them make me forget."

"You know we weren't a part of that, though." Maria pointed out. "I mean, Anna and I weren't."

"Yeah. She wrote about you two." Jeremy told her. "I have to go, I'm in the parade."

As he started to leave, Elena came over. "Jeremy! I was wondering where you were. You look great and you did a really great job on the float

"Go away, Elena."

"Jeremy come on please! I don't want it to be like this between us" She told him. Maria stood nearby, watching them.

"Why don't you have Damon erase my memory again? Then I could go back to be your in the dark little brother." Jeremy said.

"Jer, please"

"Just don't! You can't fix this that easily; something like this doesn't just get fixed." He left her standing there. Maria came over to her side.

"I had no idea he was this upset." Maria told her.

"Think he'll ever let it go?" Elena asked.

"Of course he will. He's your brother." Maria said. "My adoptive siblings and I got into arguments, too. Some were just as bad as this, but in the end, it all worked out." Elena smiled.

"Thanks. I needed to hear that."

"You should go. The parade's about to start." Maria pointed out. She went into the crowd and found Bonnie.

"Hey. I almost thought you wouldn't make it in time." Bonnie said.

"Well, I'm here." Maria said. They watched as the parade went by. "So, anything new on the Founder's Council?"

"I wouldn't know." Bonnie pointed out. "I'm not one of the Founding Families."

"Oh, right. My bad." Then she noticed a figure that wasn't standing there a second ago. She focused on watching the others instead. When she turned back to Bonnie, she heard her speaking.

"What do you want?"

"Just watching the parade." Maria knew it was Damon. Bonnie came over to her.

"Come on." She grabbed her arm and they started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked.

"Away from you." Bonnie told him.

"I wanted to say something to you."

"Just leave me alone."

"Damon…" Maria began, not knowing what to say.

"Thank you." He told Bonnie. "The device that Emily spelled could have killed me. I don't take what you did lightly so… thank you."

"I did it for Elena." Bonnie pointed out. She looked a little sad for a moment.

"I know that but I'm still very grateful and… I owe you." Maria looked at Bonnie for a second. In that instant, she knew. "Enjoy the parade." She snapped out of her thoughts as Damon walked away.

"That's why you're afraid she'll be mad, isn't it?" Maria asked.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to get rid of the others." Bonnie said. "And I was still hurt over what happened with Grams."

"I'm not mad at you." Maria said. "But I can't let anything happen to them."

"I promise I'll help you save them." Bonnie told her. "It is my fault in the first place."

At the Grill, Maria met Elena. She was back in her regular clothes. "Finally glad to be out of that dress?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. It was starting to really hurt."

"You all looked awesome up there." Maria told her.

"Thanks." Elena said. She looked a little sad for a second.

"Jeremy?" Maria asked.

"I've never seen him this angry before." Elena told her. Just then Maria heard what sounded like a fight.

"I'm sure it'll work out." Maria said. "I just…could you excuse me for a minute?" She ran outside to find Jeremy and Damon. She saw him grab Jeremy's arm. She went over to them.

"She erased my memories." Jeremy was saying.

"No, I did. She was protecting you!" Damon pointed out.

"It wasn't her call to make." Jeremy said. He tried to leave, but Damon kept his grip on him. "Let go of me before I make a scene."

"Damon…" They both turned to face Maria. "This is not the best way to handle the situation." Just then she heard another voice behind them.

"Let him go." She turned around and saw Stefan. Both of them were standing between the guys in case a fight broke out. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"What my brother is trying to say is don't blame Elena for this." Stefan explained. "Damon turned Vicky, I killed her. She was a threat to you and she was a threat to your sister. I'm sorry that it happened, I wish that it hadn't." They were all staring at him now.

"It's not like I can remember." Jeremy said. He left. Maria started to go after him, and stopped herself. It was then she heard them arguing again. She turned around and went to them. By the time she got there, only Stefan was there.

"Are you okay?" Maria asked Stefan.

"Yeah, sorry you had to hear that." He told her.

"Stefan, you know she loves you." Maria said. "She wouldn't run into a house full of vampires just to save you if she didn't."

"I know that, but they've been spending a lot of time together recently." Stefan pointed out.

"She's telling him to back off." Maria told him. "I'll see you later."

That night, Maria found Anna. "Hey. What's going on?" She asked.

"The tomb vampires are planning an attack." Anna explained. "They want revenge on the Founding Families."

"Does anyone else know?"

"I just explained all this to Damon." Anna said

"I better help them." Maria told her.

"Please, be careful. They're everywhere." Anna told her.

"Make sure Jer's okay. I'm going to help Elena and the others." Maria said. "Watch it out there. The tomb vampires aren't our only enemy." She gave her a brief hug, then left.

Maria quickly found the others and ran over. "What are you doing?" Elena asked.

"Saving your life. Fifteen words or less… Tomb vamps are here, founding families are their target." Damon explained. "Get her out of here, now!" He started to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"That's more than fifteen words, Stefan."

"Wait, Jeremy is out here somewhere." Elena remembered.

"It's okay. I sent Anna to find him." Maria told them. "I think she has feelings for him."

"Let's go." Stefan told them.

The three of them ran off together. A few minutes later, Stefan dropped to the ground. "Stefan, what's going on? What's happening?" Elena asked.

"My head." He managed to get out.

"It's like that anersym spell." Maria said. "Something has to be up."

"We have to get him out of here." Elena pointed out. One of the officers ran over to them. Luckily for them, Ric stepped in.

"Hey, I got this one. There's one over there." He told him. The officer ran off.

"Thank you." Maria said.

"Come on." The girls and Ric managed to help get Stefan to a safe place. They all sat together.

"I don't know what happened, he just dropped." Elena told them.

"Yeah, he's not the only one." Alaric pointed out. "The cabs have gotten everyone who's gone down, they injected them vervain"

"What?" Elena glanced at them, then at Stefan "They're rounding up the vampires"

A few minutes later, everything was normal again. "Are you okay?"

"It's like needles were piercing my skull and it just stopped" Alaric returned to the group.

"I saw at least 5 vampires go down. They're taking them to your old family's building" He told them.

"It's the Gilbert's device. It has to be." Stefan said.

"But how did he get it to work? Bonnie unspelled it." Elena told them.

"Maybe she didn't" Ric said.

"She did, we saw her do it." Elena pointed out.

"No, he's right." Maria told her. "I'm sorry. She just wanted the tomb vampires gone."

"Why weren't you effected?" Stefan asked.

"Because it was spelled by a witch and I'm part witch, remember?" Then a new thought struck her. "And Anna was going to warn Jeremy about this."

"Where's Damon?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since this started." Alaric told them.

"Can you get my brother, take him home?" Elena asked.

"Of course."

"Let's go." Elena, Maria, and Stefan took off running.

As they neared the building, Maria froze suddenly. She heard something and closed her eyes for a second. "Anna?"

"Maria, you have to save Damon." Anna said. "Tell Jeremy that I'm sorry I dragged him into this mess and that I love him."

"I'm sorry. I should've known…"

"Don't. It's too late for me, but your friend's still alive for now." Anna pointed out. "Thanks for trying to keep me on track that time. Goodbye."

When Maria looked up, there was nothing but the night sky. Her thoughts were interrupted by Stefan. "Wait, wait, wait, I can hear them. The building is on fire." Stefan said.

"What?"

"We have to hurry!" Maria said. They all rushed over to find John.

"Where is Damon?" Elena demanded.

"With the rest of them where he should be. It's over for Damon."

"I don't believe that." Maria said. "Now back off before I set you on fire!" The group stared at her. She didn't care, she was angry.

"You're one of Emily's descendants, aren't you?"

"You could say that." John turned to Stefan.

"Go ahead, you won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself."

"If they die, I swear I'll kill you myself." Maria told him. She grabbed Stefan's hand. He turned to Elena.

"You now the building well, is there another entrance in?" He asked.

"The emergency door, it's on the side." Elena told him. He and Maria ran toward the building, but were stopped by Bonnie.

"Hey, you can't go in there! The fire will take you both out." She warned. Stefan opened the door.

"Don't worry, the fire won't touch me." Maria said. "I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but you have to help me keep the fire back long enough to get out."

"He's my brother Bonnie." Stefan added. They both got inside the building, but they couldn't open the basement door. Then Maria felt Bonnie doing a spell.

"Come on!" Maria kicked the door in. "Stay behind me!" She called to him over the roar of the flames. The fire disappeared from the steps as she ran down them. Stefan followed close behind her. She paused at the bottom of the stairs. Suddenly, the flames in the room moved away for a while. "I don't think it'll last long!" Finally, her eyes found a figure on the floor.

"Damon!" They both called. They both grabbed one of his arms.

"Ready?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, come on!" Maria said. The fire was going to trap them in another second. In one big rush, they sped out of the basement.

Outside, Bonnie was with Elena. "Bonnie… Bonnie what is it? Are they gonna be okay" She asked her. At that moment, Maria, Damon, and Stefan stepped out of the building. "Oh my god." Elena ran over to them.

"It's fine. I think we're all okay." Maria said as she embraced them. "Damon, how are you doing?"

"A little weak from the vervain, but otherwise fine." He told her. Maria looked to Bonnie. She was starting to leave.

"Give me a minute." She told them. She ran over to her. "Hey."

"Hey." Bonnie said. "I'm sorry I almost got you all killed, but you're all fine."

"Except for one person." Maria said, thinking of Anna. "But I'm sure she holds no grudge against you." She paused. "I know you don't like Damon, but at the end of the day he's still one of my friends."

"I know. And I'm sorry about that. I know you like Damon and I would never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me." Bonnie told her. "But he has to change."

"I'm sure he will, but you need to give it time." Maria told her. "It's not always easy for us to control our emotions."

"I can't make any promises, though."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Maria turned back to the others. "I'm going to head back with them. There's something I have to do. I'll check in with you later."

Outside the Grill, Damon pulled Maria aside. "You know we have to tell him about his girlfriend, right?"

"I promised her I would. If you want, I'll go with you." Maria said.

"Okay. By the way, thanks for saving me back there."

"It was nothing." Maria said. "I need to get my bag, I'll meet you a few blocks away." With that, the pair separated. After she found the bag where she left it, she heard Stefan talking.

"I try so hard… to hate him. Now I guess it's just pointless" Maria stepped out and saw him with Elena.

"I've tried to hate him, but it's impossible." Maria said. They both turned to her. "No matter what he does, he's still a friend."

"You care about him, Stefan." Elena pointed out. "We all do. But I love you Stefan and I know that you are worried about that." Maria decided to leave at this point.

Jeremy was upstairs in his room, when he noticed Damon.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Anna's dead." He told him.

"I figured that once they took her away." Jeremy told him.

"I'm so sorry." He turned and saw Maria in the room with them. "If there was anything I could've done…"

"It isn't your fault." Jeremy told her. "You couldn't have known the founder's would get her."

"I know you cared about her" Damon said.

"Yeah I did."

"I saw her killed. I was watching and all I could think about was… I wanted to help her but I couldn't."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Jeremy asked him.

"I took away your suffering once before, I can do it again." Damon pointed out. "But it's your choice."

"Look, I know you think you took it away but it's still there. Even if I can't remember why I still feel empty, alone and making me forget won't fix it." Jeremy said.

"You aren't alone in this, Jer. You have me, too." Maria pointed out. Jeremy remembered that they were friends.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Jeremy began.

"I get it." Maria told him.

"What I did to Vicki was wrong. Sorry for my part" Damon said.

"Anna said that don't have to feel pain; that they could turn it off if they shut out their humanity" Jeremy said.

"It's very true."

"Is it easier that way?" Jeremy asked.

"Is what easier?"

"Life." Jeremy told him.

"Life sucks either way Jeremy but at least if you're a vampire you don't have to feel bad about it if you don't want to" Damon told him.

"Is that what you did?" Jeremy asked.

"I did it for a… I did it for a very long time and life was a lot easier." Damon told him. "I'll be at the Boarding House." He told Maria. With that, he left.

"Jeremy, I know it hurts now, but it'll get easier." Maria said.

"I know that. What are you still doing here?"

"Because Anna gave me a message before she fully passed away." Maria told him. "She wanted to apologize for getting you involved."

"Well, it was interesting." Jeremy said. "I never knew what to expect around her. I'm going to miss her."

"Me too, Jeremy. She really did love you, but you probably knew that." Maria said. "But you don't have to feel bad about it alone."

"It's kind of weird, knowing about you. But for some reason, it's like you're still normal." Jeremy said.

"If there's one good thing about this, it's our humanity." Maria said. "No matter how old we are or what supernatural race, we're still as human as anyone else. Remember that." She looked away for a moment. "I should leave now, but I'll be back later." She left the room.

Outside, Stefan ran into Bonnie. "Hey."

"Hey."

"You… you just missed Elena"

"I was looking for you actually Elena is my best friend and because she loves you I couldn't let you guys die in that fire." Bonnie said.

"I'm very grateful Bonnie, I hope you know that"

"I do but I hope you know that things have to change. Damon has to change." Bonnie told him.

"We both want the same thing." Stefan told her.

"We all want to protect the people we care about." Bonnie said. "The difference is, for you and my ancestor, Damon is one of them. You saw what I was able to do tonight, I know who I am now and if Damon spills so much as one drop of innocent blood, I'll take him down even if I have to take you with him."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" Stefan said.

"Let's hope it doesn't" Bonnie said. "I know Maria cares about him and for her sake, I don't want to hurt him. But if he goes too far…"

"I'm sure she gets it." Stefan told her. "But I'm sure she'll help him. He's been different since she's shown up."

Outside, Maria noticed Damon with Elena. She was walking past the house, when she realized it. She noticed the two of them and ducked when Jenna opened the door. Then, she looked at Elena. There was no aura, no sense of life radiating from her. She realized it wasn't Elena that had just entered the house, but Katherine Pierce.

Not wanting to blow her cover, she headed straight for the Boarding House. She knew she'd need help if they were going to deal with her, but for tonight, her powers were still weak.

Dear Diary,

I think we're in trouble. Katherine's back, and this time, I think she means business.


	17. The Return

Maria was lying down her bed. She was unable to get to sleep. Her phone rang. "Elena?"

"Meet me at the hospital. Something's happened."

At the hospital, Maria ran into the girls. "What's going on?"

"It's Caroline." Bonnie told her. "She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it."

"What?" Bonnie held onto Elena. Maria looked surprised. She didn't know what to do.

"She's in bad condition, isn't she?" Damon asked from behind her.

"What do you care? She's just another human to you." Maria pointed out.

"Is there something that we can do? Like a spell or something?" Elena asked the girls.

"I don't know. I could try a healing spell, but I don't know if it'll work." Maria admitted.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"She doesn't know how" Damon told her. "Do you?"

"No, I don't." Bonnie admitted.

"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that."

"Now I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn."

"Whoa, guys. This is not the time or place for this." Maria pointed out.

"I can give Caroline some blood." Damon offered.

"No, no way." Elena said.

"No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day." Damon explained. "she will be better, Elena."

"It's too risky, I can't agree to that"

"I'm siding with Elena on this one." Maria said. "It's too big of a risk."

"Do it." The girls turned to Bonnie. "This is Caroline. We can't let her die."

"I guess I could check in on her every few hours." Maria said.

"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?"

"No. But you'll do it anyway, for Elena." Bonnie told him.

"Don't worry, I'll be with him." Maria said. She waited while Damon spoke with Elena. He finally came over to her.

"We better help her."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…Katherine's back." Damon told her. "I thought she was Elena earlier. I'm thinking she was the one who attacked John earlier."

"Well, she can't be all bad, then." Maria said. He looked at her. "Right, sorry. I keep forgetting you're into her."

They went into the hospital room. Caroline was asleep. Maria sat near her and put her hand on her shoulder. "She's getting weaker. I don't know if I'll be able to use the spell."

"Just help support her." Damon told her. He bit into his wrist and brought it up to Caroline's mouth. Maria held onto Caroline as she drank the blood. Finally, she let go.

Damon looked at her. "Come on. We should make sure Elena gets home safe."

"I'll be with you in a minute." Maria told him. He left the room. "Caroline, you're going to be okay. I'll check in with you later." She got up and walked out. She felt bad that Caroline was hurt. It reminded her of when she used to be sick and Katherine healed her.

Then she remembered what Damon told her and rushed over to find them. By the time they got to Elena's house, they found Stefan on the ground. "What happened?" Elena asked.

"Katherine happened." Damon told them. A few seconds later, the group was sitting in the kitchen.

"I cannot believe she's here." Maria said. "I thought I imagined seeing her."

"Wait, you saw her, too?" Damon asked. Even Stefan looked surprised.

"I saw you two outside as I was leaving." Maria admitted. "Besides, not like she'd recognize me now anyway, but that girl is just plain dangerous."

"I told Jeremy." Elena said, entering the room. "I can't lie to him anymore."

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Stefan asked.

"For once, I don't know. Katherine's unpredictable. Who knows what she'll do next?" Maria pointed out. "All we can do is keep an eye out and try to have each other's back."

The next day, Maria went with Bonnie to the Lockwood's place for the mayor's funeral. "That device didn't just effect the vampires." Bonnie told her.

"What?" Maria asked. Damon came over to them. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Still in shock over what happened with her, but I'll live." Damon told her. "For now."

"Did you know the Gilbert device affected Tyler Lockwood?" Bonnie asked them, changing the subject.

"Well, I know mayor was." Damon said.

"Don't you want to know why?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, something doesn't add up about this." Maria said.

"Yes Bonnie, I would love to know why a non-vampire was tortured by the vampire torture device that you let John Gilbert use against us." Damon told her. "Speaking of your guilt how is Caroline?"

"Much better." Bonnie said. "Besides, Maria's checking in on her later."

"You're welcome."

"No, you're welcome." Bonnie told him. "You live to see another day."

"No good deed goes unpunished with you, does it?"

"Doesn't undue the bad. I know what you are Damon, you might have Elena and the sheriff and everybody else fooled but not me. One wrong move and I'm gonna take you out." Bonnie warned.

"Bonnie…" Maria tried to pull her away.

"Now you need to stop with the witches' brood. You're starting to believe your own press." Damon told her.

"Hey, guys…" Maria began. Suddenly Damon was in pain. Maria glanced at Bonnie.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" Bonnie asked.

"This whole thing's been rough on her. Give her a break." Maria told Damon as she followed Bonnie out of the room.

"I'm sorry. He just makes me so angry." Bonnie told her.

"I know, I get it. He makes everyone angry." Maria said. "But we've all got our flaws, Bon."

The girls walked into the room to find Elena. "Oh my god! Damon drives me crazy. He's walking around like he's some kind of hero for healing Caroline when it's his fault all of this happened in the first place." Bonnie told her.

"I'm sorry Bonnie. What Damon's done is just awful." Elena said. Maria noticed something off. Elena's eyes showed no emotion whatsoever. Then she got it.

"Bonnie, we should check on Tyler." Maria said. "It was his father, after all."

"Uh, okay." Bonnie said. As she walked by, her hand brushed against Elena's. She knew something was wrong.

"I'll be in the other room." Maria told her. She left the room, but heard all of what happened next.

"I know who you are."

"Of course you do. You're the best friend right? I've been putting all the pieces of Elena's life together. Isobel told me it was a bit of a puzzle." Katherine said. "I do know who Jenna and Jeremy are and I met that delicious ex-boyfriend Matt, he was sweet on Caroline, and then there's you, the vampire-hating Bennett witch. Did I do good?" She heard them fighting in the other room. She wished she could've helped, but wasn't prepared to hear Katherine start speaking again.

"I've been around a long time Bonnie; you have to do better than that." Suddenly, the door burst open and everyone could see them. Luckily, Stefan showed up at that moment.

"Leave her alone." He told her.

"Okay." Katherine let go of Bonnie and left. Stefan glanced at her to make sure she was okay.

"I'll be with her." Maria told him. "You handle your ex." He left. She turned to Bonnie. "Are you okay?" Bonnie shook her head. Maria took her hand and led her away from the room. "I know, I was surprised too."

"She's identical to my best friend." Bonnie said. "How could I have not realized before…"

"Hey, it's okay. I knew when I met Elena she wasn't Katherine, though the resemblance is kinda scary." Maria told her. "I'm not going to let her hurt you. Besides, I'm sure we'll find another way to take her down." She heard Stefan and Katherine leave. She knew whatever was going on was not good.

"I should let Damon know." Maria said. "I'll be back, I promise." Bonnie nodded. Maria walked into the main room and found Elena and her family. It didn't take her long to find Damon.

She walked over to him. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"Look around. The whole town's here." Maria pointed out. Elena came over to them.

"Hey, how are you doing?" She asked Damon.

"Great Elena. Walking on sunshine, thanks for asking." He said. Maria was surprised. She never saw him upset enough shut someone out before.

"We should be able to talk about this. Damon, we're close enough now." Elena said. "I really want to know how you are doing."

"I kissed you. I thought you kissed me back ... Doppelgänger hijinks ensued ... How do you think I'm doing?" He told her.

"I think you're hurt." Elena said.

"No, I don't get hurt, Elena."

"No, you don't admit that you get hurt." Elena said. "You get angry and cover that up and then you do something stupid."

"She's right, Damon. It's not a good idea to deny how you feel about this." Maria pointed out. "Even I see it."

"You're scared. You think Katherine is gonna send me off the deep end don't you?" He asked them. Neither one answered. "I don't need her for that." He started to walk away. Maria actually did leave. The tension made things awkward. She went into the den and ran into Jeremy, literally.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Jeremy said.

"How are you doing? I mean, with everything that's been going on?" Maria asked.

"It's still a lot to take in, but I'm fine." They noticed Tyler alone. They went over to him.

"Hey look...I'm sorry about your dad." Jeremy told him.

"Today has been a big day as sorry from people who don't really give a crap." Tyler told him. That's when Maria remembered. Tyler was the mayor's son.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I care about what happened to him." Maria said.

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not, Tyler. I really mean it." Maria told him. "I never knew my parents, not really, but I still think of my father sometimes."

"I remember when my dad died." Jeremy said. "I had a house full of strangers telling me how a great guy he was. Anyway, I know how hard all this is."

"The difference is in your case it was true." Tyler pointed out. "My dad was a dick."

"Yeah, yeah he was." Jeremy agreed. Maria stayed silent. She never knew the mayor personally, but still felt bad that he got involved in that mess.

"I'm going to get some air. I'll see you guys later." Maria told them. She left the room while they were still talking. They hadn't seemed to notice her slip away. When she got outside, she saw Stefan on the ground. She ran over to him at normal speed.

"Let me guess, Katherine?" He nodded. "Hang on, I'm going to get some help." She headed back inside and found Damon. She grabbed his arm.

"What do you…oh, it's you. What's up?"

"She's been at it again, Damon. Stefan's hurt." Maria told him. Elena was walking by when she heard this.

"Where is he?" Elena asked.

"Just follow me." Maria told them. The group went back outside.

A few minutes later, Elena was cleaning Stefan's injury. Maria was supporting him from behind. Damon had gone off to look for Katherine. "You gonna be okay?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, it will heal." He told her.

"That's not what I meant."

"I was trying to figure her out. I was playing along and let her get to me." He explained.

"Pearl always warned me that she could be manipulative." Maria said. "Though from what I've heard, it's also not a good idea to piss her off." Stefan gave her a look that said, "Yeah, now you tell me." She gave an apologetic shrug. Damon showed up.

"I tried to track her but she's gone." He told them. He noticed Stefan's injury. "Ouch, cover up Fabio. You have a crazy ex on the loose."

"You both have a crazy ex on the loose." Maria pointed out. "I mean, since she was with both of you."

"You better watch out, looks like Katherine is trying to steal your guy." Damon warned Elena.

"That's not what's happening" Stefan said.

"Isn't it? I mean it's only fair since I went after your girl." The girls looked at each other.

"I'm gonna go check on Jenna and Jeremy. Let me know when you guys are done." Elena went back inside.

"Look, Katherine is messing with all of us right now." Maria said. "She nearly killed Bonnie in there, and look what happened to you just now."

"What do you suggest we do about it, Maria?" Damon asked.

"We need to work together. But we can't do that unless you put your differences aside. She already broke you once." She added. "I don't want to see that happen again. I'm going to make sure Bonnie's okay. You guys clearly have issues to work out." She went back into the house.

That night, Maria went to the hospital to check on Caroline, but froze when she heard voices coming from her room. She kept hidden, even though she heard her scream. She had seen everything through the window in the door.

Unsure of what to do at the moment, she ran. Once she got up to her room, she tried to fall asleep after writing in her diary, but couldn't. Then, she heard something shatter downstairs. She went into the living room and saw Damon. He looked really upset. "Damon?" He turned around and saw her.

"I thought you'd be staying with the witch tonight."

"She's had a hard time. I thought she'd want to be alone." Maria told him. Slowly, she walked over to him. "Are you okay?"

"I did something really terrible to Elena." He admitted. "I let Katherine get to me and lost it." Maria noticed how sad he was. Almost as if Katherine had broken him. He didn't need to say it for her to know she rejected him. She wondered how one person could be so cold and heartless toward others, especially when they used to date the other person. Carefully, she put her arms around him.

"I'm sorry about Katherine." She told him. "Whatever happened with Elena, I'm sure she'll forgive you eventually. But you have to give her some time."

"I just don't know where I went wrong this time." He whispered. Maria was surprised. She hadn't seen him this upset since the tomb incident.

"You didn't do anything wrong." She said. "All you did was love her." He looked away from her. "Hey, Damon." She put her hands on his face so he was facing toward her. "Hey, listen to me. There is nothing wrong with loving someone. I know how bad she hurt you. But one day, you'll find someone else who's worth it. Believe me, it will work out."

"How do you know all this?"

"A friend of mine was in the same position. She was completely heartbroken when he rejected her." Maria said. "Then, sometime later, she met the love of her life. At first, she was hesitant to open up again, but I convinced her that she couldn't give up on guys forever." She pulled away from him. "I guess I'll go now." She started to head out of the room.

"Wait." She turned around. "I just wanted to…thank you." Damon managed to get out. "I know I've been a dick lately and…" Maria sat down on the couch next to him. She didn't care how long they'd be there. She wasn't going to leave until things were okay again.


	18. Trouble at the Fair

"He what?" Maria practically shrieked in the hallway the next day.

"Keep it down, you'll draw attention to us." Bonnie pointed out.

"Sorry, I'm just in shock." Maria said. "He was upset last night. Now I know why, and who can blame him?" Elena was busy helping organize everything, since Caroline was still in the hospital.

"We better help. Might get your mind off it." Bonnie offered. She went with her. "I'm still in shock over the Katherine thing."

"We all are." Elena pointed out.

"Katherine looked just like you, it was freakish." Bonnie told her.

"She is my ancestor."

"Your vampire ancestor and she didn't just resemble you like a family member would. She was you." Bonnie explained. "I don't know how you tell them apart."

"Instinct, I guess." Maria shrugged.

"Have you talked to Damon since he killed Jeremy or tried to kill Jeremy?" Bonnie asked Elena, who was distracted by working on something.

"No Bonnie, I haven't and I won't and I don't want to talk about Damon or anything else that's vampire relating okay?" Elena told her. "I'm human. I have to do human stuff. Otherwise, I'm going to go crazy."

"Okay, I'm sorry, let's focus." Bonnie said. "We have to make Caroline proud or she will kill us. I don't know how she does all of this."

"Me either. She's always so busy." Maria said. She still hadn't told anyone what she'd seen, but she also knew they'd find out soon enough.

"Well because she's not human, obviously."

"I'm going to set up down there, okay?" Maria left the girls in such a hurry that they were still staring after her long after she disappeared.

She noticed Jeremy talking with Stefan. "Hey, guys."

"Hey."

"I'm glad you're okay." Maria told Jeremy. He looked at her. "I heard about what happened."

"You just told me how to kill you. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jeremy asked Stefan.

"I trust you to make your own judgment, Jeremy." He left them in the hallway.

"I still can't believe what happened." Jeremy said.

"Me, either." Maria told him. "If it helps, he feels really bad about the incident."

"He wasn't the one who got killed. I was lucky I had this on." Jeremy held up his ring.

"For the record, I'm glad you're not dead. You remind me of myself when I found out about the supernatural the first time." Maria told him.

"So, you going tonight?" He asked.

"I kinda have to. I'm on the committee with your sister." Maria told him. "I'll see you later."

That night, it was crowded. There were people from school Maria barely even recognized. She ran into Elena and Bonnie.

"The ring toss is out of Bart and Homer dolls and team Jacob T's." Bonnie told her.

"Okay, I can grab some from the science club. Also we lost a speaker in the karaoke booth."

"Hey, all good Elena, take a breath, look around. This is a huge success." Bonnie told her.

"You mean I can do more than just reek vampire havoc?" Elena said.

"You aren't the reason for that, Elena." Maria pointed out. "Though you are good at thinking fast when the situation calls for it."

"Anything else happen at the karaoke booth?" Bonnie asked. That was where Maria had been before coming over.

"You might want to check the second microphone." Maria said. "I think it blew out."

"No problem. I think the tech guy's around somewhere." Elena told her.

"Got it." Maria was looking around the fair for him when she bumped into someone. "Sorry."

"We really have to stop meeting like this." She looked up at the person she bumped into.

"I thought you'd be at home. I mean, a school fair isn't usually your scene."

"I decided to crash." Damon told her. "Besides, there is something up with the Lockwoods."

"So I've heard." Maria said. "Excuse me, there's a tech guy I have to find." She started to leave, then she turned around. "Why'd you kill Jeremy?"

"When Katherine rejected me, something just snapped." Damon said. "I never meant anything personal."

"Well, Jer's going to take it personally." Maria pointed out.

"Yeah, but we have other problems besides Elena's kid brother." Damon told her. "Meet us in the classroom. I'll find Elena and explain everything."

About fifteen minutes later, the group met in the classroom. Damon explained that Caroline had become a vampire. Maria nearly broke a desk. She was so busy setting up at the school fair, she forgot about her.

"How did this happen?" Elena asked.

"Well, I fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her and A plus B equals..."

"But why?"

"Because Katherine is a manipulative nasty little slut."

"This is exactly why I avoid her." Maria said.

"And she said "game on"? What is that even mean?" Stefan asked.

"It means she's playing dirty, she wants us to know." Damon pointed out.

"But why Caroline?" Elena asked.

"I don't know."

"Caroline must be completely out of her mind, she don't even know what's happening to her." Stefan said.

"Oh I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past sort of wiring of the minute she was in transition." Damon told them.

"Wait, you compelled her?" Maria asked.

"It's a long story that we don't have time for." Stefan pointed out. "We have to find her."

"Yep and kill her."

"You're not gonna kill Caroline." Elena said.

"She knows who we are. She's officially a liability, and we've got to get rid of her."

"Damon, absolutely not." Stefan protested.

"Did you miss the part where Caroline's the victim here?" Maria asked.

"Need I to remind you the tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan? Caroline, of all people, won't not make it as a vampire." Damon pointed out. "Her mother is a vampire hunter. Guys come on, we all know how this story's gonna end, just flip to the last chapter and..."

"It's not an option, Damon." Elena said.

"I won't do it." Maria said. "She was the only human friend I had here."

"No? Your silence is deafening, Stefan." Damon said. "Wait, wasn't there a school carnival the night you staked Vicki? Looks like a town where story repeats herself. You know I'm right."

"We're not gonna kill her." Stefan said after a moment of silence passed between the four of them.

"It's the only way." Damon told them. Stefan and Elena left the room. Maria started to follow, but turned back to him.

"I won't let you do this." Maria said.

"You're being emotional." Damon pointed out.

"Excuse me if we all can't turn it off like you!" Maria stormed out of the room.

"You okay?" Elena asked as she joined them.

"Yeah. I had to get that out. And we have to find her before he does." Maria said.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Stefan asked.

"She's a friend. And you don't just let your friend be killed by another one."

"Do you think he's right, though?" Elena asked.

"He's right that it might happen, but we can try to help her." Stefan pointed out.

The three of them were looking around for Caroline. "Where could she have gone?" Elena wondered. Just then, Maria and Stefan looked up. They turned to each other, realizing what happened.

"Are you two okay? What's going on?"

"I smell blood."

"A lot of blood." Maria added. "Come on!" She managed to run there ahead of them and saw Caroline with Damon.

"He's dead, I killed him. What's wrong with me?" Maria looked at her. She hated seeing her so upset. It reminded her of when she found out she was a vampire. She still had no idea what caused the change.

"Hey, hey it's okay. I can help you." Damon told the young girl.

"You can?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, I have to."

"What are you gonna do?"

"The only thing I can do, I'm gonna kill you."

"Please don't! I don't want to die!" Maria chose this point to start walking up behind Damon. She wasn't going to let him go through with this.

"But you are already dead." He pointed out.

"No! I'm not. Don't say that okay? Just help me!"

"Okay." He embraced her. Maria saw him slowly bring the stake up from behind her. Suddenly, Maria got angry and directed it all toward him. As he collapsed to the ground, Stefan rushed over and stood between the two of them.

While Damon struggled to get up, Elena went over to Caroline. Maria went with her. "It's okay. We won't let him hurt you." She told her. Caroline looked at Elena and backed away.

"Get away from me! You killed me!"

"No, no, no, no Caroline! That wasn't me." Elena told her. "That was Katherine."

"No! Then why did she look like you? And why, why did she do this to me?"

"Stefan, we've got to get her inside." Maria turned to the newly-turned vampire.

"Caroline, Caroline! Listen to me." She looked at her. "Stefan and I aren't going to hurt you. We're here to help." Caroline seemed to relax a little.

"Caroline, come with me." Stefan started to lead her away from the grounds.

"She'll die, it's only a matter of time." Damon said.

"Maybe. But it's not going to happen tonight." Stefan told him.

"Yes it is." Suddenly, he rushed over to them, but Elena got in front of Caroline so he wouldn't hurt her.

"Damon, she's my friend." Elena reminded him. He stared at her before dropping the stake.

"Whatever happens, it's on you." He started to walk away.

"Uh, oh." Maria said. Everyone turned to look at her. "Bonnie." Soon enough, the witch showed up.

"Caroline?" Bonnie asked.

"It's okay, come on." Stefan told her. Maria put a hand on Caroline's shoulder.

"No, you're not. It can't be." Bonnie reached out and touched Caroline's hand, realizing what happened to her.

"Bonnie," Caroline said. Then Bonnie noticed the dead guy on the ground. Stefan led Caroline into the bathroom. Maria went over to Bonnie.

"I know this is hard for you." Maria told her. "But I need to help her. I'll be back in about five minutes." With that, she headed into the bathroom to help Caroline.

By the time she got there, she found Stefan helping her out. "Is she okay?"

"Not really. She thinks Bonnie hates her."

Maria went over to the sobbing girl. "Caroline, it's okay. She just needs time to deal with the fact that you've changed."

"I killed someone. How is that okay?" She pointed out. "I'm a murderer. A monster."

"A monster wouldn't feel guilty about killing that guy." Maria pointed out. She turned to Stefan. "Help me."

"Listen, your emotions are being heightened." He explained. "It's part of the transformation, it's completely normal." Caroline seemed to calm down for a minute. Then she caught her reflection in the mirror. She was changing.

"Why does this keep happening?" She asked, panicking.

"It's okay, it's normal for people like us." Maria told her. Caroline looked at her in surprise. Maria sighed, she hated vamping out herself, but had no other choice. She closed her eyes for a second and changed, opening them. When she turned, she saw Stefan had changed as well.

"You see that? When you feel the blood rushing, you tell yourself that you're going to get through it, that you're strong enough." Stefan told her. "No matter how good it feels to get yourself over to it, you fight it off, you bury it." He took a deep breath and changed back to normal. "It's the only way you're gonna to survive this thing." Maria held her hand as she took a few deep breathes before changing back to normal.

"You said people like us, so you're…" Caroline looked at Maria, who was still vamped out. Maria closed her eyes and felt herself return to normal.

"I know it's shock, but I will help you get through this." Maria said. "I saw what happened, I was too late to stop her. But I'm not going to let her hurt you again." Caroline looked at her.

"Thank you." She gave her a small smile.

"I'll stop by tomorrow." Maria told her. She left the bathroom and headed back outside.

Elena was still with Bonnie out there. "Hey. You okay?" Maria asked.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie said.

"We're all in shock, Bonnie." Maria pointed out.

"Well, I've got a body to bury." She nearly slapped herself in the head. Sometimes, Damon just gave her a headache. Suddenly, he fell to the ground. Elena looked at Maria.

"It isn't me this time!" She told her. They looked over at Bonnie, who was using her powers.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Bonnie said.

"I didn't do this." He managed to get out.

"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault." Elena told her.

"Everything that happens is his fault, Elena." Bonnie shot back.

"He didn't do this." Maria said. "Bonnie, you need to listen to me!" It was too late, though. She was too busy focusing on her powers.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Elena asked. A fire headed toward Damon.

"Oh, great!" Maria got in front of him.

"Bonnie stop it!" Elena said. Maria used her powers to make the fire go around them.

"I'll deal with the fire." Maria said. "You need to break her concentration, get her out of the trance. There's no way to get her to listen to reason until she snaps out of it." Elena jumped over the line of fire and grabbed her. The fire was put out. Maria dropped to her knees, tired from using her powers to counter it. She looked over at Damon. He looked at her in surprise.

"Why did you stop me?" Bonnie asked. They both turned and looked at her.

"Because this isn't us." Elena pointed out. "Bonnie, this can't be us." She embraced her friend. Maria turned back to Damon. They both got up.

"Why'd you save me?" He asked.

"I wasn't going to let you die for something Katherine caused." Maria said. "Not everyone wants you dead, you know."

"You shouldn't save me, you know."

"I know that. But I'm still going to." Maria told him. She went over to Bonnie. "Let's go. You're still in shock." Bonnie let her lead her away from the fair ground.

"I don't get why you helped him."

"Because this time it really wasn't his fault." Maria said. "I can prove it. Touch me."

"Excuse me?"

"Witches can show others what they saw through touching someone. It can also work as a lie detector sometimes." Maria explained. She put her hand on Bonnie's arm. Bonnie gasped as she caught a vision of what Maria had seen at the hospital.

"Oh, my god." Bonnie pulled away abruptly.

"We won't be able to stop her if we keep fighting each other." Maria pointed out.

"We need to figure out what to do about Caroline, though."

"I'll help Caroline," Maria told her. "I know what she's going through. Clearly, you need time to process everything that's happened."

"Not like I want to avoid her, but I'm not sure I can trust her." Bonnie said.

"That's exactly how I felt about Anna when I found out she was one, too." Maria said. "You should give her a little time to adjust. Trust me, it's never easy."

The girls headed home for the night.

Dear Diary,

Nothing has been the same since Katherine got back. Now one of our friends has been turned and another one can't handle the fact that she's a vampire now. As if things weren't complicated enough. Guess all we can do is try to help her out. I'm afraid if we can't help her, she might not last very long.


	19. Training Day

A few days later, Maria met the others at the Boarding House. Alaric had shown up. "I thought you were stayed with the witch last night?" Damon said.

"That was two days ago." Maria pointed out. "Besides, Bonnie needs time to get over the shock."

"Elena mentioned you needed my help." Alaric pointed out. Everyone sat down.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could help sheet some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan explained.

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Alaric pointed out.

"You wouldn't." Damon said. The others looked at him before he continued. "But your dead not dead vampire wife might."

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together." Elena realized.

"You said that she has spent years researching this town." Stefan pointed out.

"I thought Anna was the only one who was into that." Maria said. "No offense, guys."

"None taken. A few months ago, I wouldn't have believed it either." Elena pointed out.

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rounded in folklores and legends but at the time I thought much of which was fiction." Alaric explained.

"Like that amazing vampire story." Damon said.

"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena asked.

"The lycanthrope." Everyone stared at the history teacher/vampire slayer in surprise.

"Wait, like werewolves?" Elena finally spoke.

"That's impossible." Damon said.

"Is it?" Stefan asked.

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?" Damon pointed out.

"Why do you suspect the Lockwood's?" Alaric asked.

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at founder's day but the Gilbert device did and it affected his son Tyler."

"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fell into the carnival worker." Stefan added. "It suggests some sort of a supernatural entity."

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure it out what it is." Elena said.

"Well, all her things are still at Duke." Alaric told them. "I mean her office is still there, she's technically still missing."

"So can we get access to it?" Damon asked. The others noticed that Maria hadn't said anything about the situation.

"You okay, Maria?" Alaric asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to process the idea that the Lockwoods might be werewolves." Maria said. She looked away from them.

"If you know something, you can tell us." Stefan told her.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Maria got up and headed toward the door. "You guys are just going to have to figure this one out on your own."

After a few minutes of walking around, she called Caroline. "Hey, how are you?"

"I've been stuck in the house for three days. If I try to go outside, I burn. How do you think I am?"

"Hang in there, Caroline. I'm going to see if we can do something to change that." Maria said.

"Really?"

"Of course. I'll come over in a few hours." Maria told her. "See you then."

About an hour later, she ran into Stefan at the Grill. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Guess we think alike, huh?" Maria said.

"You haven't seen Bonnie around here, have you?" Stefan asked.

"I texted her a few minutes ago. I'm sure she'll be here any minute." About five minutes later, Bonnie showed up.

"Hey, guys."

"You okay, Bonnie?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. I'm still trying to get over it." Bonnie told her.

"I hate to say this, but we need your help." Maria said. The three of them sat down in a corner where no one could hear them. Bonnie looked at the two of them like they were crazy.

"I don't know how to make a day-walking ring." She told them.

"Emily made mine, she made Damon's too, instructions must be in the grimoire." Stefan pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I can use the spell." Bonnie pointed out. "Besides, why can't Maria do it?"

"I don't know how." Maria told her. "She gave it to me when I got out of the hospital that time."

"Bonnie, you know how to drop vampires with a single look, okay?" Stefan said. "I think you can figure it out."

"Caroline killed someone, Stefan. I can't make it easier for her to do it again." Bonnie pointed out.

"No, we're not making it easier for her. We're just giving her the chance to survive." Stefan explained. "Listen, every day that she's cut off from her old life: from you, from Elena, from Matt, it'll make It that much harder for her to hold on to her humanity."

"Tell me about it. If Anna and Lexi hadn't shown up when they did, I never would've made it." Maria pointed out.

"And how do you know she won't hurt anyone else?" Bonnie asked them.

"I don't but if we don't do everything we can to help her or at least trust the fact that she can keep it together, we may as well just stake her right now." Stefan told her.

"Let's not get into that conversation again." Maria said.

"I don't know if I can trust her, not with this." Bonnie said.

"Then trust us, Bonnie." Maria said. "We'll do whatever we can to help her."

"Okay." Bonnie said.

A few hours later, they met back at Caroline's house. They were all in her bedroom. Caroline was holding the ring. "So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear the rest of my life?" She asked.

"Hey, if you don't want it…" Bonnie began

"No, no, she wants it." Stefan told her.

"I know how you feel, but I didn't have an option either." Maria told Caroline.

"Okay, now what?" Caroline asked.

"Now is the part where I explain the rules." Bonnie said. "The witch who spells the ring has the power to dispel it so if you ever do anything to hurt anyone…"

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone."

"You are a vampire that mean that urge to kill is a part of who you are." Bonnie pointed out. "The minute you let it take over, I will stop you."

"Bonnie, you're supposed to be my friend." Caroline shot back.

"I can't ignore what happened okay?" Bonnie said. "If you want to be friends, you have to prove that the Caroline I remember isn't gone. Now put the ring on the bed." Caroline set the ring down.

"Do you really think I meant to kill that guy at the carnival?" Caroline asked.

"He's still dead. Now, do you want me to do the spell or not?" Bonnie asked.

"If you don't, I will." Maria told her. "I'd move back if I were you." She told Caroline. Bonnie opened the curtain to let sunlight fall onto the ring. A few seconds later, it was over. "All done" Bonnie handed the ring back to Caroline. Caroline slipped it on.

"So that's it? I mean nothing witchy happened. You know, no flickering lights, no gust of wind. Have you ever done this before?" Caroline asked.

"Caroline…" Stefan and Maria warned at the same time.

"I just want to make sure that it worked." She protested. Suddenly, Bonnie opened the curtain. Caroline shrieked in fear, expecting to be burned. When she didn't, she calmed down. "

"It worked." Bonnie said.

"What if it hadn't Bonnie?" Caroline asked. The witch turned to the others.

"She's all yours." Bonnie told them. She left the room.

"She's still in shock." Maria explained. "If it helps, you still seem like the Caroline I met when I first got here."

"Thanks." Caroline said. "But what did you mean when you said if she wouldn't do the spell, you would?"

"It's kinda a long story." Stefan told her. "We'll explain it once you're sure you have things under control."

"Come on." Maria said. She got up. "Now that you can walk around outside, you're coming with us."

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked.

"Most new vampires learn to hunt in the woods." Maria explained. "You'll have better luck with his directions, though. He's been doing it for years."

The group headed into the woods. Luckily, they were the only ones there.

"So what I do when I see the rabbit?" Caroline asked.

"Chase it, catch it, feed on it." Stefan explained.

"Isn't killing cute defenseless animals the first step of becoming a serial killer?" She asked them.

"Well, you sort of skipped the serial killer and went straight to vampire." Stefan pointed out. "Caroline, if you're not serious about all of this I think you should tell me"

"No I am. Look, I swear that I am okay?" Caroline said. "But it's just… I haven't been in the sun for days and everyone is at the swimming hole having fun and Matt is there!"

"Look, I know it's hard. We've all been there at one point, Caroline." Maria told her.

"And he finally told me that he loved me but I have been blowing him off and now you want me to eat bunnies and I'm kind of freaking out okay?" Caroline continued, ignoring Maria's comment. Maria was trying not to laugh. At least she was trying, unlike Stef. "And now you're laughing at me."

"No, no, I'm not laughing. None of this is funny, trust me. It's just that…"

"What?"

"When someone becomes a vampire, all of their natural behaviors get sort of amplified." Stefan told her.

"That's right. I keep forgetting about that." Maria said.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked. She felt as though she missed something.

"I mean… as a human I cared deeply for people, how they felt." Stefan explained. "If they were hurting I felt their pain and I felt guilty if I was the one who caused it and as a vampire all of that got… magnified."

"Yeah, not to mention your emotions get magnified, too." Maria added. "At least you're positive, unlike most new ones."

"So you're saying that now I'm basically an insecure, neurotic control freak... on crack?" Caroline asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say it like that but…"

"I wouldn't say it at all." Maria pointed out. "Come on, we can go to the swimming hole after we're done hunting."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Matt is the closest connection that you have to your humanity and I think that being around him is a good thing." Stefan explained.

"Okay." Caroline said.

A few hours later, the group showed up at the party. Stefan and Maria noticed Mason driving away. Maria looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with him.

"Why are you looking at him with this serious vampire look?" Caroline asked.

"My what? My "vampire serious look"?" Stefan asked her.

"I mean it's different from your worried vampire look, neither of which straight too far from your "hey-it's-Tuesday" look." Caroline explained.

"I get it, okay. You think I'm… you think I'm too serious."

"I mean I was not gonna say it like that but…"

"I know what you mean." Maria said. "I've noticed it before, too."

"I just realized, what were you like before you…"

"There are a few blank spots in my memory, but I was very kind and empathic." Maria told her. "And I hated when people used or tried to hurt my friends."

"Whoa. That explains so much." Caroline said. She left the others to go talk with Matt. Tyler walked over to them.

"Hey, I didn't think you were coming."

"We're with Caroline." Maria told him.

"So, she finally shows up to an event after avoiding her boyfriend."

"Hey, she's been through a lot, Ty." Maria said. "More than I can tell you. So don't go around dissing Care or you have to answer to me. And I'm a black belt."

"Okay, sorry." Tyler said. "I forgot you two were friends." He walked away from them.

"Are you really a black belt?" Stefan asked her.

"Of course not. I just said it to get him to back off." Maria turned around and saw Caroline compelling a girl. "Uh oh. We've got a problem." He looked where she was looking.

"Great. Should've known this would happen."

"Come on." The two of them made their way over to Caroline. By the time they got there, Matt was leaving.

"Hey, I saw that. You compelled her"

"Yeah, she deserved it." Caroline said.

"Caroline, nobody deserve to have their mind mess for shallow reasons." Stefan told her.

"Yeah. Trust me, I don't even like using it." Maria said.

"You know, why is everyone sticking for Amy freaking Bradley?"

"you're letting the jealousy to get the best of you." Stefan pointed out.

"Oh, so now I have magnified jealousy issues too. That's just great." Caroline said.

"I told you this wasn't gonna be easy."

"Yeah, well, I may as well have stayed dead. My entire personality is killing me." Caroline told them.

"Meditation helps." They both turned to look at Maria. "What? It helped me when I found out."

"I'm not sure if that would work with her."

"Thanks a lot, Stef." Caroline said.

"Hey, it was just a suggestion." Maria said, throwing her hands up. "I'm gonna be over there." She walked away from the two of them for a while.

That night, the three of them were watching as everyone started to leave the woods. Matt was by himself.

"He's mad at me." Caroline told them.

"Go talk to him. I'll wait." Stefan said.

"We both will." Maria added. "He seems like a nice guy, go for it." Caroline walked over to Matt. Maria looked away from them. Stefan was on the phone with Elena. She used her hearing to listen in.

"There's one more thing." Elena told him

"What is it?"

"According to the legend, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire." Maria turned around.

"Stefan." He looked where she was. Caroline and Matt were gone.

"Listen, I got to go. I'll see you when you get home okay?" Stefan told Elena. He hung up and turned to Maria. "Where are they?"

"Probably in the woods." Maria said. "Try calling her." He dialed Caroline's number, but her phone was in Matt's car. "Let's go! We have to find her, fast!"

"So, did you know about this whole werewolf thing?" Stefan asked as they took off threw the woods.

"I've met one before, a few years ago." Maria told him. "I didn't want to say anything because I was scared. Werewolves are usually a vampire's natural worst enemy. If Damon knew I was friends with one…"

"So did you know about the whole bite thing?"

"It's news to me," Maria said. "I've seen what they can do to our kind, but I can't tell for sure if that part's true."

"So, there's no way to be sure?"

"Let's not stick around to find out. If it is true, I might have reversed it at one point, but like I said, I don't know." Maria explained. "I don't want to find out by having one of us or Caroline getting bitten from one, though."

A few minutes later, they found her attacking Matt. Stefan ran over to intervene while Maria stood in there in shock. She ran over and caught Matt as he passed out. "You're going to be okay, I promise." She told him.

"Oh my god." Caroline tried to go over to him.

"No, no, stop. Listen to me. We need to get out of these woods now. We need to leave." Stefan told her.

"What was that?" Caroline asked, hearing something move. Matt tried to get up.

"Matt, stay down. Do not move." Stefan told him. The group heard something moving. Maria was frozen in place, scared. She took a deep breath. This wasn't the time to stick around the woods with other supernatural creatures around. She nodded to Stefan.

"Okay, we all have to run." Stefan told Caroline. "It's going to follow us, we need to get it away from Matt. You need to run as far as you can." Caroline nodded. "Do you understand me? Go!" All three of them took off at vampire speed. Maria was slightly faster than them. They stopped near the ruins.

"Wait! What is it?" Caroline asked.

"It's a werewolf! He will try to kill us and he can!" Stefan told her.

"That's why we all need to get out of here." Maria added. Suddenly, Tyler showed up. "What is he doing here?" She pressed her hand against her forehead.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" He asked them.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked. Suddenly, a wolf jumped onto Caroline. She ended up on the ground. Stefan tried to help her.

"Caroline!" Maria couldn't move. She was in shock.

"No!" Everyone turned to look at Tyler, including the wolf. Suddenly, it ran off back into the woods.

"Okay, that was weird." Maria walked over to Caroline, who was still on the ground. "Are you okay?" Caroline nodded. She helped her up. "We've got some damage control to fix."

Sometime later, the group was in the woods. Caroline was compelling Matt to forget what happened. As soon as that was done, she went over to where the two older vampires were.

"What are we gonna do about Tyler?" She asked.

"I took care of it." Stefan told her. "And I will get Matt on vervain, it'll keep you from being able to compel him and also to keep you from drinking his blood"

"I can believe I hurt him." Maria put a hand on Care's shoulder.

"I know," Maria said. "We've all been there at one point."

"He is the one person on this entire planet that I never wanted to hurt."

"It's not going to get any easier. You just have to work that much harder" Stefan told her.

"I shouldn't be with him, should I?" Caroline asked them. "Because if there is any danger…"

"Oh, Caroline…" Maria had no idea what to tell her. Luckily, Stefan spoke up.

"I'm the last person to make that kind of decision for you. If I had follow my own advice, I would walked away from Elena a long time ago." He told her.

"Do you ever think you should have?" Caroline asked him.

"I know I should have, I just can't." He got up.

"I know how hard this is." Maria said. "One of the problems when you first turn, kinda deals with this."

"Were you ever…" Caroline began, but she hesitated. "Did you ever fall seriously for anyone before?"

"I've dated very few guys, but I never fell for any of them." Maria told her. "But no matter what happens with Matt, you always have me as a friend."

"You know, you run really fast."

"I did learn from the best." Maria told her. "Come on, let's get out of these woods. I've had enough danger for one night."

The girls walked through town. Maria wanted to make sure Caroline got back home safely, since Stefan had to meet Elena. "Does it ever get any easier?" Caroline asked. "I mean, the whole vampire thing."

"Not always, but it's different for everyone." Maria said. "So far you've only been dealing with the bad part of it."

"Aside from the compulsion."

"Well, you need to learn to use it for more immediate problems, not for boy drama." Maria pointed out.

"Then I don't see what's so great about this." Caroline said.

"I can show you. Come on." The two of them stopped in front of a building. "Okay, grab my hand. Since you're still new, it won't be easy doing it alone the first time."

"What are we…"

"Trust me, Care." Maria said. Caroline reluctantly grabbed her hand. "Okay, you see how high the roof is? On my signal, jump."

"What?" Caroline looked scared.

"It's okay." Maria told her. "We can use our speed to give us a boost. Just think of it like flying. Ready?" Caroline put her hand back in hers. "Okay, go!" The two of them jumped up to the roof. Maria turned to Caroline, who had her eyes closed.

"You can look now." Caroline opened her eyes.

"Whoa. Uh, how do we get down?"

"Same way we got up." Maria told her. She looked up at the stars. "My friends and I used to jump up to the roof to watch the stars. It always felt like we were closer to something…different."

"When we were younger, Bonnie, Elena, and I would go stargazing." Caroline said. "Once, a shooting star passed by. Elena wasn't sure of what she wanted in her life. It's something that's been stuck with her for a while."

"One day, she'll get there." Maria told her. "You know, as long as I've been around, the stars have never changed. Guess some things just stay the way they are forever. But every now and then, things do change."

"Whether we expect them to or not." Caroline said.

"You haven't really changed." Maria pointed out. "You're still that fun, popular, energetic girl I met when I transferred. So what if you're vampire and I'm a vamp/witch that can still use magic? We're still us."

"I know." Caroline smiled. "We should get out of here before someone sees us." The girls jumped back to the ground and headed back home for the night.


	20. Kill or Be Killed

A few days after the incident in the woods, Maria went to the volunteer event to check in on Caroline. She had already spent most of the weekend with Bonnie, teaching her a few new spells and practicing with her. She asked her to come, but she had plans with her family, so she decided to come on her own. "Hey." She turned.

"I heard about what happened. Are you okay, Elena?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, just in shock. I knew we looked alike, but it was really weird." Elena told her. "And now…" She cut off as Caroline walked over to them.

"Hi, guys." Caroline said.

"Hey, Care." Maria greeted her. "You volunteered, too?"

"I signed up a while ago and now my mom decided to come. Her timing is the worst." Caroline said.

"Hey, I'll be right back with you guys." Maria said. She noticed the guys seemed to be arguing. She walked over to them.

"Stefan, please tell me you don't seriously think a hand shake just solved our problem."

"No actually I think that the first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's gonna drive a stake through your heart and then through mine because you took upon yourself to try to kill him." Stefan pointed out. "So thank you, because we don't have enough problems." He left the two of them standing there.

"I heard about what happened." Maria said. "How could you be so stupid?"

"In my defense, I thought he'd be dead by now." Damon pointed out. Maria slapped him.

"You do not want to deal with a werewolf that's angry at you. Trust me." Maria said. "And I'm not going to lose one of the few supernatural friends I have because you tried to kill one." She headed back over to the wall.

"Hey, I'm guessing you heard about…" Elena began.

"Yeah, Stef told me about the Mason incident this morning." Maria told her. "One day, Damon's gonna get us all killed."

"So, how are things between you and Stefan? Anything?" Caroline asked Elena.

"No, not since the fight. He's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine might get jealous enough to hurt me. I just don't know how to change his mind." Elena explained.

"You said that Katherine's dangerous. Maybe he's got a point." Caroline pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that she's dangerous and I know that he's just trying to protect me but it feels like giving up and I just…"

"Just what?"

"I just thought we were stronger than that."

"If it's one thing I know about Katherine, it's that she's a coward." Maria told Elena. "She would always send others to do her dirty work. Looks like it hasn't changed. But I also know that you two are strong enough to get through this."

"Thanks, Maria." Elena said, feeling guilty she couldn't tell them that they weren't really broken up.

"Come on, we've got work to do." Caroline said, snapping the girls out of their thoughts. Maria helped them paint. It wasn't long before she caught Elena glancing over at Stefan. Caroline noticed, too.

"Longing looks are being exchanged"

"I'm gonna go talk to him." Elena said.

"No, Elena. I think it's a bad idea." Caroline told her. She left anyway.

"Okay, what's going on?" Maria asked as soon as Elena left. "You're usually more supportive than that."

"I don't know what you mean…"

"Save it, Care. You're a horrible liar." Maria pointed out. "I'm going to guess and say her vampire look-alike is involved." Caroline looked away.

"Don't tell anyone."

"I won't. You'll tell them yourself." Maria told her.

"Why are you being such a bitch to your mom?" Damon asked. The girls jumped. They hadn't seen him.

"Don't worry about it." Caroline told him. Maria noticed Elena and Stefan talking. She listened in with the others.

"So this is not for discussion. That's what you're saying?" Elena was saying.

"No, I'm saying that is enough for discussion right now because we have ears on us." Stefan told her. Maria glanced at Damon and Caroline, who were pretending not to listen. She went back to working on the wall, but continued to listen.

"I saw her Stefan. It's like we are the same person. How could you hate her and be in love with me?" Elena asked.

"You're reaching. I'm not… I'm not Damon" Stefan pointed out.

"How about we don't bring Damon into this right now?"

"You know, I can't… I can't do this anymore, Elena."

"Fine, Stefan. Whatever." Elena walked away.

"Relationships are about communication." Damon told Caroline. She went after Elena. Maria walked over to him.

"I wish you'd figured that out before you decided to get stupid enough to threaten a werewolf." Maria told him.

"How do you even know about werewolves, anyway?"

"When Elena called Stefan that time you went to Duke, I was listening in." Maria explained. "So, I'm guessing you're not here for the volunteer thing."

"I'm just keeping an eye on Mason."

"Well, thanks to you, we've all gotta watch our backs." Maria pointed out. "I'm coming, too. Make sure you don't do anything stupid this time." They walked over to where Mason was. Maria pretended to walk away, but stayed close by.

"Hello, Mason. Working hard?"

"Doing my part."

"I heard you talked to Stefan."

"Nice guy."

"Yeah, a lot nicer than me."

"Niceness is overrated."

"That's what I think."

"You have a good day, Damon." Mason left. Maria walked over to him.

"Okay, he's up to something." Maria said.

"What gave that away?" Damon asked, sarcastically.

"Niceness is overrated? Seriously? There's something really off him." Maria pointed out. Just then, Stefan came over.

"Please tell me that you were just bounding."

"So what's up this faux drama in your relationship?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Stefan. You and Elena don't fight, especially not over me."

"No, you're wrong. We all get into arguments because of you." Maria said. The guys looked at her. "That came out so wrong."

"Drop it, Damon."

"With pleasure."

"Would you like some lemonade?"

"Thank you sweetie." Maria noticed something off about the color. Quickly, she knocked it out of his hand, but some of it splashed her wrist. She covered it immediately and tried not to wince in pain. Unfortunately, some of it splashed onto his skin as well. Unlike Maria, he did wince in pain.

"You okay?" He asked her

"What happened?" Stefan asked.

"Mason spiked it with vervain." Maria told them. When she removed her hand, there was a slight burn mark on her wrist. "I'm going to get something to cover this." She walked away. On her way out, she ran into Sheriff Forbes. "Sorry, I didn't see where I was going."

"It's okay." She noticed her wrist. "What happened?"

"Allergies. I was over by the wall and I'm allergic to the cowl lillies." Maria told her. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine. I just have something I need to do." The sheriff told her. "I think there are some towels over by the gazebo."

"Thanks." Maria ran off. After covering her injury, she headed out and found Caroline and Elena talking. She went over to join them.

"Are you okay?" She asked Elena. Caroline shook her head, telling her that she was still upset over her argument with Stefan.

"Look, Caroline. I don't mean to take it out on you. You're just being a good friend."

"No. I'm not. I'm not being a good friend at all." Caroline told her. Just then, she and Maria noticed her mother leaving. "Where is my mom going?"

"I don't know, but I have a feeling Mason's behind this." Maria said. "He spiked one of the drinks." She showed the girls her burn mark.

"Something's up" Caroline said. "Come on." They started heading toward a small hill.

"Where are you going? What's going on?" Elena asked them.

"I need to be able to hear better."

"Hear what?" Elena asked.

"Something's wrong, Elena."

"I'm getting that vibe, too." Maria added. Suddenly, she heard the guys talking. Then, there was the sound of gunshots. Her hand flew up to her mouth in shock.

"Oh god." Caroline said.

"What is it?"

"Stefan and Damon." Caroline told her.

"What?"

"They've been hurt. Mason lured them into a trap." Maria explained.

"We've got to find them before my mom does something." Caroline said.

"I'm coming with you." Elena said. "Don't try to stop me."

"Not going to argue with you. Come on!" Maria said as they all took of through the forest. The girls looked for any sign of the guys. Caroline stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"They've been here." Caroline told them.

"They can't be too far, then." Maria said. Just then, she and Caroline turned. Someone was coming. Mason showed up a few seconds later.

"What are you girls doing out here?" He asked.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked.

"Yeah Elena, I've seen him. Seen Damon too." Maria clenched her fists. It was taking everything in her not to attack him.

"Where are they?" Elena asked.

"You don't need me for that. I'll let your friend here sniff them out." He turned to Caroline. "Does your mother know what you are? I'll happy to tell her."

"You hurt my friends." Maria said. "If they die, I won't hesitate to make sure you go down next." Elena looked at her. While angry, Maria seemed calm. It sort of scared her.

Suddenly, Mason grabbed her from behind. "Don't be stupid! Necks snap easy around here"

"I can take you." Caroline said.

" Wanna bet?"

"Yeah. I do." She sped over and fought him off. Maria grabbed Elena and got her away from him.

"You okay?" Elena nodded. They watched as Caroline knocked him out by herself. "Nice work."

"I took self-defense." Caroline told her. "Come on." They ran off. Knowing what happened, they knew they had to find them fast. They were by the ruins when they heard something suddenly.

"What is that?" Elena asked. "Guys?"

"My mom. She's killing them." Caroline said.

"What? We have to stop her!" Elena opened the door.

"No, I can't." Caroline told her. "Elena, she's gonna find out about me." Elena went inside. Maria turned to Caroline.

"A real friend would help her, no matter what the consequences." Maria told her. She headed inside, leaving Caroline to think about it. Maria found Elena just as soon as she entered.

"Elena! What are you doing?"

"You can't kill them. I'm not gonna let you." Elena told her.

"And neither will I." Maria said. "These two are my friends."

"But they're…"

"I don't care what they are." Maria said. "You shouldn't, either." Suddenly, the door closed on them.

"Who else is with you?" Sheriff Forbes asked. Suddenly, Maria heard Caroline rush into the room and take out the deputies.

"Hi, mom." The Sheriff just stared at her daughter in shock.

"Come on, we'd better help them." Maria said. She and Elena went down to the guys. "Don't worry, they're still alive. Well, you know what I mean."

A few minutes later, they were up. Stefan was holding onto Maria for support. "You need to drink some deputy blood." Damon told him.

"No. I'm gonna be fine. It's gonna take a little bit longer."

"Damon's right you know. If it's ever time to break your diet…" Caroline began

"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena said, defending him.

"I'm with them on this one, Care. We don't want to go there right now." Maria told her, remembering what happened last time.

"This is the most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead and you." Damon turned to the sheriff. "What am i gonna do with you?"

"You won't tell anyone, will you? Mom? Mom? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?" Caroline pleaded. Maria felt really bad for her. "Mom, please. He will kill you."

"Then kill me." Sheriff Forbes said, to everyone's shock.

"No!"

"I can't take this. Kill me now." Suddenly, Damon rushed over and grabbed her.

"Oh, no!"

"Sheriff Forbes, you might want to rethink that decision." Maria called out to her.

"Damon, don't!"

"Damon, please!"

"Relax guys. No one is killing anybody." He turned to the sheriff. "You're my friend." Maria let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"I'll be outside if anyone needs me." She walked out of the room.

At the Salvatore's, Maria set Caroline's bag on the ground. She overheard everything that the Sheriff said to Damon. Calmly, she headed downstairs, only to find everyone else heading out. They all seemed angry or upset. She went into the cell. "What are you doing down here?" The sheriff asked.

"I live here." Maria said. "The Salvatores took me in when I had nowhere else to go when I moved here." She explained. "They're good people, but you're too hung up on the fact that they're vampires to see that. Sometimes, people are just as bad as vampires are. So the next time you say something about Caroline, make sure she's not in hearing range." She headed back upstairs.

Maria was sitting with Caroline when Elena walked in. "You want me to take you home?" She asked.

"I can't go home." Caroline said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm scared."

"Katherine blackmailed her into being her spy." Maria told her.

"I know." Elena said. "Care, I think I understand. Yeah, I've been angry about it, but I know you wouldn't do this after we've helped you without a reason. Who'd she threaten?"

"Matt, she threatened Matt and I'm so scared of her Elena!" Caroline said, bursting into tears.

"And you should be. Caroline, we all should be."

"Why is she doing this? What does she want?"

"That's the million dollar question." Elena said, embracing her friend.

"Well, I'm not scared of her and I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you or your boyfriend." Maria said.

A few minutes later, Caroline had calmed down. "You feeling better?" Maria asked.

"Yeah." Caroline said. "I heard what you said to my mom in there."

"Hey, no matter what happens, our humanity is what really defines us." Maria told her. "Your mom just doesn't see that in our kind."

"One day, I hope it gets better."

"It will. I'm not sure how, but it will Caroline." Maria told her. A few minutes later, Caroline fell asleep. She went and got a blanket to put over her. Elena got up.

"I should get going." Elena told her. "It's been a really stressful day."

"I know." Maria said. Damon came into the room just then. "Caroline's sleeping on the couch."

"I heard."

"I'm going home." Elena told him. She walked over to the door, then turned around. "What you did for Caroline's mom, that's the Damon who was my friend."

"Hey, Stefan didn't drink the people blood." Damon told her. "but he needs to and deep down you know that." Elena left the room.

"What happened while I was gone?" Maria asked.

"They kinda got into a disagreement earlier."

"I meant with Elena." Maria said.

"Well, we haven't gotten along since…" Damon broke off, not wanting to say it aloud. Maria understood.

"Oh. Well, she probably still needs a little time after that one. He is her family, you know." Maria said.

"You coming upstairs?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to stay out here with Caroline." Maria told him. "She's been through a lot today. We all have."

"Good night, Maria." Damon said, leaving the room. Maria looked back to the sleeping girl on the couch. She headed into the library.

"Hey, is there…" Maria cut off when she saw Elena and Stefan making out. She slipped out of the room silently. She decided to keep it to herself, afraid of what Katherine would do if the others found out.


	21. Race for the Moonstone

A few days later, Maria was hanging up a streamer. She was helping decorate for the masquerade ball. Unfortunately, she was stuck listening to Matt and Tyler's conversation, since no one else was there.

"She's this amazing girl one minute and then this raging jealous freak the next." Matt told him.

"Look, you know what I think about Caroline Forbes. She's an insecure narcotic bitchy little twig."

"Hey!"

"But the girl's got heart, she means well. You just get the mean with the best sometimes." Tyler pointed out.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go get an extra. I'll be right back."

"Look, I know Caroline seems insecure, but she's had a really rough few weeks." Maria told him once Matt was gone. "She's been having issues with her parents."

"I've been there." Tyler said. "Guess that's the only thing we have in common. They're always so busy. You know?"

"No, I don't know, Ty. I never knew my parents." He looked at her. She realized he didn't know. "They're dead." She added.

"Oh, sorry."

Just then, Jeremy showed up. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey, so I did a little research on that stone you showed me." Jeremy told him.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Curiosity, boredom"

"What did it say?"

"Well, it turns out that it's part of this Aztec legend but I want to make sure it's the same kind of stone." Maria looked over at him. "You think I could check it out again?"

"No. I gave it to my uncle."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm done with legends and curses. I don't want anything to do with it, okay?" Tyler explained.

"Jeremy, can I talk to you?" Maria asked. They walked away from Tyler. "What are you doing?"

"Look, I know about the curse, okay?" Jeremy told her. "They filled me in. It turns out that Mason's after the moonstone and that he's working with Katherine."

"I knew there was something weird about that guy." Maria said. "It must be bad if she's after it. I'm going to find the guys. I'll see you around."

It didn't take her long to find them. They were with Bonnie for some reason. She ran over to them.

"I know how you feel about helping us out but since you're the one that linked Mason with Katherine, we finally have an opportunity to get an upper hand on both of them so just hear us out." Stefan was telling her.

"I'm listening." Bonnie said.

"I have to clue Elena in on what's going on." He turned to Damon. "Can you play nice please?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep him in line." Maria told him.

"Hey." Bonnie hugged her. "I thought you'd be with Caroline."

"I wanted to give her some space to deal with what's been happening." Maria said.

"Now that we've got that out of the way, we have business to get to." Damon pointed out. Maria let go of Bonnie. "All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again to see if he gave Katherine the moonstone"

"My visions don't work like that." Bonnie told him. "I don't get to ask questions."

"One of the inconveniences of being a witch." Maria explained. Bonnie looked at her. "Even half-witches struggle with it."

"Okay, what's that witchy mojo you do with me. You know the fun one, when my brain burst into flames? What is that?"

"That's me giving you an aneurysm. Your blood vessels go pop but you heal quickly so I do it over and over again." Bonnie explained.

"I know where this is going and I think it's a really bad idea, Damon." Maria said.

"Mason Lockwood's a werewolf, Katherine's evil. They're the bad guys. Really? You're gonna play morality police with me right now?" He asked them. "Let me explain it to you another way: they're a threat to Elena. You two are gonna get over yourselves and help us."

"Not a chance. Although I hate him for what he did to you and Stefan, I'm not taking my chances with him." Maria said as Stefan returned. She turned to Bonnie. "I hate making you do this, but think you could…"

"I see what you mean." Bonnie said. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

"If you need me, send out a psychic wave." Maria said as she and Damon left.

"Hey, about the other day…" Stefan began.

"Relax. I'd never tell anyone." Maria told him. He looked at her and knew that she meant it.

"Thanks."

"I'm going to see how Elena's doing. It must be hard on her." Maria went over to help Elena sort masks. "Need a hand?"

"Thanks. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you needed help since you guys broke up." Maria said.

"I'm dealing with it." Elena told her. Matt came over a few minutes later to help them.

"How do you organize these?"

"Here, let me help." Matt came over and helped Maria untangle the masks she was holding.

"Thanks, I don't even want to know how they got like that in the first place."

"Guess that's why they asked for volunteers with helping set up." Elena pointed out.

"So where's Caroline?" Matt asked. "This is like her thing. I can't believe she's not here."

"She has something else to do" Elena told him.

"Is she seeing someone?"

"Matt, come on. No, she's not."

"She's having family troubles." Maria said. "That's why she's not here." Just then, she felt a rush of heat. She nearly passed out, but Matt and Stefan caught her.

"You okay?" Stefan asked her. Elena looked at her, wondering what happened. The guys helped her get back up.

"Yeah. Thanks to you guys."

"Maria…" Elena began. That's when Stefan's phone vibrated. He read the message and left. Matt looked over at Elena.

"I'll let you two talk for a minute." Matt told them. He walked away from them.

"Are you okay?"

"I had a vision." Maria explained. "I must've inadvertently connected with Bonnie when she helped them. I know where the moonstone is, but there's…" She didn't even get to finish speaking before Elena went off in the same direction that Stefan did. Maria sighed and took off after her.

Elena found Stefan in the woods first. Maria found them both shortly. "What's going on?" Elena asked.

"You shouldn't be here." Stefan pointed out.

"I know but I am. What's going on?" Elena asked.

"Bonnie thinks the moonstone is down here." Stefan told her.

"We know." Maria told him. He opened the well. They looked in for a second.

"Hey. Be careful." Elena said.

"Wait. You can't go in there, Stefan." Maria said.

"He's the only one of us that can, Maria."

"No, he's not." Maria said. Just then Caroline showed up.

"What's going on? I heard you arguing."

"The moonstone's down there, but the well's full of vervain." Maria explained. "If you try to go in, you'll burn up."

"That was probably Mason's intention all along." Stefan realized. Maria looked into the well again and knew what she had to do.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked as she arrived. Maria was sitting on the edge of the well now.

"Are you insane?" Elena asked. "You'll burn up if you go in there."

"Do you trust me?" Maria asked them.

"Just hurry." Bonnie said. Maria jumped into the well and started searching the walls, focusing her powers. When she felt a response, she turned toward the direction it was in.

"Are you okay down there?" Caroline called down.

"Yeah." Maria called back. "I found it!" She found the box and got the moonstone from it. "Bonnie, I need you to help me out of this thing!" Bonnie helped her as she climbed out of the well. Finally, when she was out of the water, she jumped out and was sitting near the edge of the well. The group was surprised to see that her skin was unharmed.

"How did you do that?" Stefan asked.

"You really think Katherine's the only one immune to it?" Maria asked. "Okay, it can still burn my skin, but the pain doesn't hurt as much."

"Never do that again. I was so scared." Caroline told her.

"So was I." Bonnie admitted.

"Sorry I didn't tell you, but I don't know if she's spying on me or not." Maria explained. "Not that I think she'd recognize me, but I don't want to take the chance."

"Hopefully everything will be okay now that we've got the stone." Elena said. The others agreed with her.

That night, Maria was with Damon. "What happened?"

"I messed up."

"Provoking Katherine was a really bad idea." Maria said. "Did you hear about what she did to Jenna?"

"I know. I really screwed this up."

"If you need me, I'll be upstairs." Maria told him. She went to her room. Then she heard them talking.

"We did this. Stefan, Jenna's in the hospital and Jeremy could be next all because we didn't listen to her, because we're together." Elena was saying. "Stefan…"

"I know what you're gonna say to me."

"Then let me say it." She told him. "I've been so selfish because I love you so much and I know how much you love me but it's over. Stefan, it has to be."

"Elena…"

"No, Stefan. It has to be." Maria stepped into the hallway and headed for Stefan's room. Elena walked right past her in a rush.

"Elena…" Maria began, then stopped, realizing it was pointless. There was nothing she could say to help her out of this one. She went into Stefan's room. "Hey. I heard."

"She's right." Stefan said. "This was our fault."

"No, it's not." Maria pointed out. "Katherine's the one who compelled Jenna. You couldn't have known about it. Besides, you two are good together. I'm sure it'll work out later."

"How do you always know what to say?"

"When you've lived a long time, you learn from experience." Maria told him. "Besides, you're my friend, Stefan. You think I'm going to let you're vampire ex get away with this?" She wasn't afraid of Katherine anymore. Now she was angry.

"She can be really dangerous."

"I don't care. Hurting one of my best friends is bad enough, but everyone I care about, she's crossed the line."

"Thank you, Maria. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." Stefan told her.

"I know you'd do the same if the situation were reversed." She pointed out. She wrapped her arms around him. A few minutes later, she headed back to her room and ran into Damon along the way.

"How's he doing?" Damon asked.

"I thought you heard everything."

"I stopped listening in after Elena left." He explained. "It was stupid of me to provoke her."

"Hey, at least now we can get back at her." Maria pointed out. "He's still sad, but I think he'll be okay. But it's probably best if we give him a little space right now."

"He's lucky to have a friend like you, you know." Damon said as she walked into her room. Maria started to write in her diary, but couldn't even finish a complete sentence. Giving up, she decided to go to bed. She was sure she'd figure out a way to stop her tomorrow.


	22. The Masquerade Ball

Maria and Stefan got to the Boarding House at the same time. Caroline was in the living room with Damon. "What happened?" Stefan asked.

"Go ahead, tell him." Damon said to her. "You're gonna love this."

"I saw Katherine today." Caroline told them.

"She's still here?" Maria asked. "I thought she'd have left by now."

"Where did you see her?"

"At the grill. I just stopped by to gawk and...I saw Matt." Caroline explained. "So, I pretended to use the bathroom and…" Maria put her hand on her arm. Instantly, she got an image of her meeting with Katherine. It took her a second to come out of it.

"Whoa." Maria let go as soon as she could.

"She wanted me to deliver a message." Caroline explained.

"What was the message?" Stefan asked.

"She says she wants the moonstone or she'll rip the town apart till it rains blood." Caroline said.

"Great." Maria sat down the chair opposite of her. The vision had left her a little shaken inside.

"Tell them the rest of it." Damon said.

"At the masquerade ball, which is tonight."

"She wants to do it in public. Killing Mason threw off her guard." Stefan realized.

"She's running scared. What she did to Jenna was desperate. She's out of tricks." Damon said.

"And she's outnumbered." Maria pointed out. "It's four against one."

"We can't underestimate her. We have to play this smarter than her." Stefan pointed out.

"Can we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline asked. Maria looked at her.

"I know you're scared, but if she wants it, it could be a problem for all of us." Maria told her. "We can't just hand it over. That's what she wants."

"I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball and I'm gonna kill her, tonight." Damon said.

"You're not gonna kill her." Stefan told him.

"Don't give me that goody goody crap."

"You're not gonna kill her."

"Really?"

"Because I am."

"Hang on a minute, we can't just kill her in front of everyone." Maria pointed out. "She's smarter than that and knowing her, she'll probably be pretending to be Elena again."

"Not to mention there's no way we can pull this off by ourselves." Caroline said. They all looked at each other. Maria could tell they were all thinking the same thing.

"We better call in some back up." Maria said. Just as she said that, Jeremy entered the house.

"Guys. We need to do something."

"We know." Maria said.

Half an hour later, Bonnie showed up. "Hey, come on in."

"I got Stefan's message." Bonnie told them.

"Hey, you brought the grimoire, thank you."

"How have you been holding up?" Maria asked.

"I've been better." Bonnie said. Then she noticed the activity going on around them. "What's going on?"

"We're gonna kill Katherine." Jeremy told her. They both looked surprised. Maria had no idea he'd be the one to tell her.

"I can explain." Stefan told Bonnie.

"Please."

"We're gonna kill Katherine."

"And we can't do this alone because she'd outsmart us." Maria added.

Alaric was showing the group one of the weapons he brought. "This works with compressed air. The trigger mechanism is up here. I have two of these in a different size. For you I recommend this. It fits nicely under the jacket sleeve. You use the trigger when you're ready." Then he faked killing a vampire. Stefan and Damon looked at each other. Maria was trying not to laugh. "He wanted me to show him how to kill a vampire." He told them.

"So, what's the plan?" Jeremy asked.

"We're working on it." Caroline pointed out.

"Let's not forget, we're not sure if she knows her or not." Damon pointed out.

"Like it'll make a difference. We'll all be there in masks." Maria pointed out. "I'm going to see how Bonnie's doing. She doesn't seem too happy about helping us." She stepped into the hallway, where she was talking with Stefan.

"I could do a spell to trap her, like the tomb spell."

"Right. We can isolate her, away from the others. Please Bonnie."

"Okay."

"I know this is hard, but I don't want anyone to get hurt, either." Maria told her.

"I know that." Bonnie said. "But are you sure you want to be involved in this?"

"Of course I am. Elena's my friend, too, and Katherine went too far." Maria pointed out. "I can help set up the room, if you want."

"It would be stronger if we combined our powers, wouldn't it?" Bonnie asked. Maria nodded. After a few minutes of discussing their strategy, the group met up in the living room.

"Are you sure you guys don't want me there tonight?" Alaric asked.

"No, I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about this." Stefan told him.

"Okay. Well, I'll make sure she doesn't leave my side."

"Even if she does find out, I'll be at the party as a look out, anyway." Maria pointed out.

"Alright, if anyone wants to back out, I'll understand."

"Yeah. Cold feet speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone chicken's out." Damon added. "Caroline?"

"I won't. Look, she killed me. Fair's fair." Caroline pointed out. "As long there's no werewolf running around."

"Oh, I took care of Mason."

"As long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone, he won't turn." Jeremy told them.

"Bonnie? Are you with us?" Stefan asked. There was a long silence before she spoke.

"But no one gets hurt." Bonnie said.

"Except Katherine. Tonight Katherine gets a stake through her heart." Damon said.

Maria had arrived at the party a little later than she had thought. She was wearing a purple dress with sequins around the top half and a trail of glitter down one edge of the skirt. She had a silver mask. She began looking around for the others. She headed out back and heard the guys talking.

"You spent 145 years loving her, it could happen." Stefan pointed out.

"I won't hesitate." Damon told him. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm. She pulled back abruptly.

"Maria, is that you?" She turned to face the guy.

"Jeremy. You scared me."

"I found a room we can use. Come on." Jeremy said. She headed back inside and followed him and Bonnie upstairs. They went into an empty room. "I thought this room could work."

"It's perfect." She took the grimore out of her bag.

"Is that the spell book I read about in my family's old journal?"

"It's my ancestor, Emily's. The spell I'm doing here is similar to the one that sealed the vampires into the tomb." Bonnie explained.

"Can you do all the stuff that's in there?"

"I mean it takes practice. I've worked on some small spells. Spells that only do good." Bonnie told them. "I don't want to know too much. I don't particularly enjoy any of this, in case you haven't noticed."

"You remind me of myself when I started practicing the first time." Maria told her.

"You're 100% witch, that is so cool." Jeremy added.

"It's anything but cool. Did your family's journal tell you what happened to Emily? Or what about my grams? It never ends well for people like me."

"That's not entirely true. Just cause someone tried to end me and didn't succeed, doesn't mean that being a mix of these two is all bad." Maria pointed out.

"If you feel that way, why help?" Jeremy asked her.

"Because I don't want anyone else getting hurt and I don't know how to stay out of it." Bonnie admitted.

"There's no real way to stay out of it, Bonnie." Maria told her. "Once you're part of the supernatural world, you're kinda stuck in it. Most witches are, no matter how hard they try to escape it."

"Do you feel that way?" Bonnie asked.

"There are times where I feel like we're only friends cause of my powers." Maria admitted.

"Do you know how stupid that sounds?" Jeremy pointed out. "I mean, we all have a connection to the supernatural world somehow, and last time I checked, we were friends long before I found out what you were."

"We better put this spell up." Bonnie said. "It won't do any good if Katherine gets out of here." The witches started to do the spell. Maria stepped outside the room, using one of her barrier spells.

"Well, I should probably get out of here. I can't be in the room or I'll be stuck in there, too." She pointed out. She headed outside. The backyard was crowded and full of people. She felt another presence beside her near the dance floor.

"Hey." She turned around. "Wow. You look amazing." Damon told her.

"So do you." Maria said.

"You wanna dance?"

Maria blushed. It was a good thing she was wearing her mask, so he couldn't see it. "Sure." The two of them walked out to the dance floor. She let him lead, since she was too nervous to do it herself. For some reason, dancing with her felt familiar, but he couldn't figure out why.

"You're a pretty good dancer." Damon said.

"It took a long way to get this good." Maria told him, laughing. She felt comfortable around him. He remembered the girl from his dream…no, it wasn't a dream, it was a memory.

As he spun her, Maria felt like they were the only ones there. She looked at him, realizing what was going on. They looked at each other for a while. "I…" She couldn't speak. Though, that may have partially been to the dancing and the fact she was out of breath.

The two of them held each other's gaze. They both moved toward each other.

"Guys," They turned to look at Stefan, who had a dead girl in his arms. "We have a problem."

"We better get her out of here." Damon said.

"I'm going to the garden. I promised to meet Bonnie." Maria told them. She headed to where Bonnie and Jeremy were sitting. "Hey."

"What happened?" Bonnie asked.

"Nothing, really." Maria told her. Jeremy got a text message.

"Looks like I'm up." Jeremy said. "I'll see you later."

Maria looked over at Bonnie. "What?" Bonnie asked.

"You like him, don't you?"

"No, it's not like that." Bonnie said. "It's just…He's Elena's brother. I'm her best friend. Do you know how awkward that is?"

"Kind of." Maria said. "But we all go through that phase sometimes. You two just need to find something in common." She thought about what almost happened a few minutes ago. She knew exactly how she felt about it. Then she felt another presence not too far away. "It looks like she found out." She got up. Bonnie followed her.

They found Elena with Jeremy. "You shouldn't be here." He told her.

"But I am, so what are you doing here? Everyone's been acting really mysterious."

"Don't be mad, we were just trying to help." Maria said.

"Help with what?" Elena asked.

"We set up a trap that will hopefully finish Katherine." Bonnie said.

"You guys are trying to kill her here?"

"Technically, I was just the look out." Maria said.

"We saw an opportunity and we knew we had to take it." Jeremy told her.

"Okay, stop with the "we", are you guys crazy? You're gonna get yourselves killed."

"We know what we are doing, Elena." Bonnie said.

"And how am I supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of me?"

"It's not just you anymore, Elena." Jeremy pointed out. "She's messed with all of us, she has to be stopped."

"I have had it with her hurting all of you." Maria said. "What she did to Jenna crossed the line." Suddenly, Elena screamed in pain. Maria noticed a spot of blood forming on her arm.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked. Maria looked at Bonnie, then up at the window. Bonnie followed her gaze and realized what was going on.

"Jeremy, it's Katherine. She's linked to Katherine, get them to stop! Now!" Bonnie yelled at him. He ran toward the house.

"I can't believe she did this. Well, okay, I can, but still…" Maria said. "This is a new low, even for Katherine." She helped support Elena up, since she was in a lot of pain.

"Bonnie, it hurts."

"I can't break the spell, Elena." Bonnie told her. "I'm sorry but I can try to take some of the pain away. Okay?" She took Elena's hand and started chanting. Maria joined in, putting her hand on Elena's back. A few minutes later, Jeremy returned.

"Are you okay?" He asked his sister.

"Are they?"

"They're stuck in there with her." He explained. He turned to the girls. "You were right; Katherine had a witch that linked Elena to her."

"The girl I saw, the one inside!" Bonnie realized. "Stay with her, keep pressure on her shoulder!"

"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked.

"There's another witch here, I'm gonna find her!" Bonnie told him.

"I'm staying with Elena." Maria said. Bonnie ran inside to find the other witch. Jeremy took off his ring.

"No."

"Take it." Jeremy told her.

"No, Jeremy..."

"Elena listen to me: you need this more than I do." Jeremy told her.

"No Jeremy. What I need is for you to be safe." Elena said.

"I understand, Elena. But we need you to be safe, too." Maria told her. "You have to let us help you."

"Will she be okay?" Jeremy asked her.

"I did a healing spell." Maria told him. "Her injuries should heal soon." She looked up at the window.

"Something wrong?" Elena asked.

"I'm worried about Damon." Maria said. "Katherine's still got a hold on him, even though he doesn't admit it. I'm afraid he might snap and kill her while she's still linked to you."

"If I know anything, it's that Stefan wouldn't let that happen to my sister." Jeremy said. The group stood together for a while, with Jeremy and Maria supporting Elena. Maria felt something change.

"I think you're okay. The spell's broken." Maria told her.

"How do you know that?" Jeremy asked.

"I heard that other witch speaking." Maria said. "She took the spell off. Apparently, Katherine forced her to work for her."

"Is she still a problem?" Elena asked.

"I don't think we have to worry about her anymore." Maria told them. "I'm going to find the others. I'll check in with you later."

She found Bonnie outside, talking with the other witch. She turned to go, but Bonnie ran after her. Maria walked over to them. "Unlike me, you're one of the good ones, Bonnie. The middle of it is exactly where you need to be." She told her. She glanced over at Maria. "Thanks for helping out my cousin here. Keep up the good work." She left and Maria turned to Bonnie.

"She's related to you?"

"Apparently." Bonnie said, still in shock and surprise over the revelation. The other witch turned around.

"You take care cus. Don't worry, you'll see me again." She told her before leaving. Jeremy showed up afterward.

"Hey, I was gonna head home, can I offer you a ride?" Jeremy asked them. He noticed Bonnie was in shock. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Bonnie told him. She smiled. "When did you get your driver's license?"

"I'm not a kid anymore, Bonnie." Jeremy told her.

"I'd love a ride home." She said. The two started to leave. "You coming?"

"I'll meet you there." Maria told her. "I just need to check in with the guys." She watched as the two of them left. She headed back inside and found Stefan in the hallway. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay." He told her.

"At least your ex is finally out of our lives." Maria said. "Plus, since she's in the tomb, she won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"Yeah, I was getting really tired of her messing with us all the time."

"You and everyone else in our group." She pointed out. "I'm going over to Bonnie's. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." She got up to go. "I heard about what you did for Elena. Thank you."

"It was nothing." Maria said. "I was just doing what I had to do." She walked out of the mansion and headed back to Bonnie's place.

Dear Diary,

Katherine is finally out of our lives for good. I'm so relieved she won't be able to get to my friends anymore. But still, now that it's over, why do I still have this bad feeling that there's something else out there?


	23. Missing

The next day, the girls went to school. "So, everything should finally go back to normal." Bonnie said.

"As long as there's no other supernatural crisis."

"About that. Caroline called. Tyler accidentally triggered the curse."

"I'm sure he'll be okay." Maria said. "Most werewolves are once they get over the initial shock after the first change."

"How do you know that?"

"I rescued one, once." Maria told her. "I'll see you in class."

She met Stefan in the hallway. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"I've been better." Maria said. "Whenever I tried to fall asleep, I kept getting this bad feeling. Finally, I just collapsed and slept till the alarm clock rang."

"And this never happened before?"

"No." Jeremy walked over to them.

"Hey Jeremy."

"Look, Elena's got to let me know if I'm supposed to cover for her. Jenna's cool with the two of you but you guys are pushing it." Jeremy told him.

"What are you talking about?" Maria suddenly felt really on edge.

"You and Elena. Look, I'm glad you guys are back together but if she's gonna sleep over…"

"Wait, wait… hold on a minute. We're not back together." Stefan told him.

"Wait… she didn't stay at your place last night?" Jeremy asked.

"No, I mean I saw her at the party but that was it. She didn't sleep over."

"Cause her bed hadn't been slept in and Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway." Jeremy said. "Where is she then?"

"Oh, god." They turned to look at Maria. "I don't want to scare you, but I think Elena was taken by someone."

"What?"

"This feeling I've been having, it's getting stronger. I think someone kidnapped her after the party last night." Maria told them. The school bell rang. She turned to Stefan. "We'll meet after class. I'll let Damon know what's going on." The group headed off toward their classes.

A half hour later, Maria and Stefan met Damon outside. "I got your message. What's up?"

"We think Elena's been kidnapped." Maria said, getting straight to the point.

"She didn't get home last night and the last place anyone's seen her was at the party." Stefan explained.

"Just when it couldn't get any worse."

"Don't say that!" Maria yelled. "I'm worried she might be in trouble."

"This has Katherine right all over it." Stefan said.

"Katherine's in the tomb." Damon pointed out. "Trust me, I'm the one who shut her in."

"Did you?" Stefan asked.

"Did I what, Stefan?"

"Well, I know the hold that Katherine has on you."

"She's in the tomb, period. End of story but she did say something to me right before I shut her in. I thought she was lying."

"What did she say?"

"Elena's in danger." Damon admitted. Maria pressed her hand against her forehead.

"What? And you didn't think you should ask her to elaborate?"

"Everything she says is a lie. How am I supposed to know she would start spitting out the truth?"

"Guys, we need to stop fighting and come up with a plan." Maria reminded them.

"We have to go talk to her." Stefan said.

"No, no. Let me tell you how that's gonna go: We're gonna go ask her for help, she's gonna negotiate her release which we should dumb enough to get her and she's gonna get out and kill us! This is exactly what she wants!"

"I don't really care." Stefan told him.

"It's a bad idea, Stefan."

"He's right." Maria said. "This isn't the right way to handle the situation."

"It's Elena." Stefan pointed out. He headed back into the school.

"Could you be a little more sensitive?" Maria said. "You know how he is when it comes to her."

"Look, it's not really my problem." Damon told her.

"You're the one who knew she was in danger and didn't tell anyone, okay?" Maria pointed out. "Okay, you owe him. Whoever has her was probably after Katherine." They just looked at each other for a second. "Fine. I give up. I'm not going to force you to help out." She headed back into the school. She got a text message from Bonnie telling her where they were.

She headed into the history classroom. "Hey, I got your message."

"We're going to try and track Elena." Bonnie told her.

"How will this is work?" Jeremy asked.

"I'll use your blood to draw the energy for the tracking spell." Bonnie explained. "You're blood related, it'll make the connection stronger." Stefan showed up right then.

"Alright, Alaric said we've got to clear out of here within 10 minutes." He told them. "I've got weapons."

"Are you ready?" Bonnie asked. She cut Jeremy's hand and the blood fell onto a map they'd laid out. She focused her powers to use the spell. Everyone watched as the blood moved toward a location on the map. "There. She's there."

"You've really improved with these spells, haven't you?" Maria said.

"I had a good teacher." She pointed out.

"That's 300 miles away." Jeremy said.

"We need a more exact location than that." Stefan told them.

"That's the closest I can get." Bonnie said.

"We can map it." Jeremy suggested. "area view will show us what's around there, help us bound the area."

"Perfect. Call me with whatever you find." He told them.

"No, no, I'm coming with you."

"No Jeremy, you're not."

"no, I'm gonna just sit here. What if she's hurt okay? Or worse? What if she's…?"

"She's not." Maria said suddenly. Everyone looked at her. "She's scared, but she's not hurt or anything."

"Did you just…" Bonnie began as Maria looked around.

"Yeah, I think I did."

"You three go back to your house just in case." Stefan told them. "I'll call you the minute I find her, plus, we can't have her blanking out on us."

"But you can't do this alone"

"He's not." Everyone turned around to find Damon standing in the doorway. "Let's go."

"You're coming with me?" Stefan asked.

"It's Elena." The guys left the classroom.

"We better put this away before someone else sees it." Maria pointed out. The group folded up the map and put everything away before heading to the Gilbert house.

A couple hours later, they were sitting in Jeremy's room. "Alaric just left with Jenna." Bonnie told them.

"He's getting her out of the house for a while so she doesn't ask questions about Elena." Jeremy explained. "Look. I pulled this up based on that spell on the map. there's nothing for miles except for this old house."

"Did you send it to Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. I hate sitting here, waiting like this."

"Hey, she's gonna be fine." She told him.

"You don't know that." Jeremy pointed out.

"No I don't."

"But we can find out." Maria told them. "I'm about to do something risky. Do me a favor, watch me." She closed her eyes and fell to the floor.

"Maria!" They ran over to her. "Is she okay?"

"Her heart's still beating, but her spirit's not there." Bonnie said.

Maria looked around and found herself inside a house. She was careful not to make any noise. She found Elena sitting by herself. She was okay. Maria closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was back in Jeremy's room.

"Are you alright?" Bonnie asked. "We got worried."

"Yeah. I'm fine, and so is Elena." Maria told them. Bonnie got up and went to her handbag, pulling out the spell book.

"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked.

"I need a candle. Grab Elena's hairbrush." Jeremy went to get Elena's hairbrush.

"Are you sure you can handle this on your own, Bonnie?" Maria asked.

"I have to try. What you did could've weakened…"

"I'm still half-vampire, remember?" Maria pointed out. "That danger doesn't effect me."

"I keep forgetting." Bonnie said. She wrote something on a piece of paper she tore out of her notebook.

"What's all this stuff for?" Jeremy asked.

"I know it's crazy but I might be able to get her a message." She did the spell, but her nose started bleeding.

"Bonnie, don't push it." Maria told her. It was too late. The message was gone and Bonnie had passed out on the bed.

"Bonnie!"

"She'll be okay. She just fainted, that's all." Maria told him.

"How long will she be out like this?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know." Maria said. "But we should be there when she wakes up."

"So, what was that thing you did?" Jeremy asked. "When your spirit disappeared?"

"It's called Astral Projection." Maria explained. "My spirit leaves my body and I end up somewhere else. It's usually risky for witches, but since I'm a hybrid witch vampire, it isn't dangerous to me."

An hour later, Bonnie woke up. Jeremy came in with a glass of water. "Here, drink this." He told her.

"Thanks."

"What happened? You scared the hell out of me."

"it's nothing."

"it wasn't nothing, Bonnie." Jeremy said.

"I've been doing a lot of magic lately. It wares me down." Bonnie admitted.

"But you passed out." Maria told her.

"When I'm warring down, I take a nap. You were… you were unconscious." Jeremy added.

"Witchcraft has its limits. If I push too hard, it pushes back."

"I tried to warn you this one was too strong." Maria pointed out.

"How do you know all this?"

"It's all in here; it's like a reminder that I'm not invincible. Please don't… don't tell anyone."

"why not?"

"Because it's a weakness and I don't want certain people to know that."

"It's also to remind you that you're human, Bonnie. Unlike some of us." Maria told her.

"By certain people, you mean Damon."

"I mean anyone that can hurt me."

"I won't tell anyone, okay? I promise." Jeremy told her.

"It's hard you know? My gram is gone and my dad, he doesn't want to know about what I am. He hasn't since my mom left. Apart from Maria here, I'm alone in this." Bonnie said.

"It's how I feel a lot of the time, alone."

"I'm going to get an ice pack." Maria said, heading toward the stairs. "You've probably got a headache."

"How'd you…"

"It's happened to me, too." Maria said. A few minutes later, she came back upstairs and gave her the ice pack. Jeremy looked worried. "She'll be okay, Jeremy."

"I know she can handle herself, but I can't help but feel worried." Jeremy told her.

"After a little rest, she should be okay." Maria told him.

"You think Elena got our message?"

"I don't know." Maria said. "But I'm getting another feeling. I'll be right back." She fell against a beanbag chair.

In the old house, Maria found herself in the hallway. It was pretty much empty, but she could sense five other nearby. It didn't take her long to find Elena. She was on the staircase confronting a guy. Maria got the feeling he wasn't a normal vampire.

"I'll come with you but just please don't my friends, they just wanted to help me out." Elena told him.

"What game are you playing with me?" Suddenly, she threw a vervain grenade at him. Maria tried not to scream at the sudden explosion. Afterward, everything happened so fast. The grenade didn't work, but Stefan stepped in. He tossed his weapon aside and rushed toward the man. They landed on the stairs.

Stefan was on the floor, not moving. Maria pushed the other back with her powers. He looked around, wondering where the sudden wind had come from. While he was distracted, Damon ran a stake into his heart. Maria returned to Jeremy's room a few seconds later.

"How's she doing?" Maria asked.

"She seems a lot better." Jeremy told her. "And Elena?"

"She's fine." Maria said. She picked up one of the books in his room and started reading it. A few hours later, Bonnie was still resting. The front door downstairs opened. Jeremy headed downstairs.

"Elena?" Maria heard him ask. Bonnie woke up. They headed downstairs to find Elena. Bonnie ran over and embraced her.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm okay." She told him. She turned to Bonnie. "I got your message." Bonnie embraced her again, with tears of happiness falling down her cheeks. Jeremy got pulled into the hug as well.

"We're all glad you're okay, Elena." Maria told her.

"You know, when I was there, I had a feeling that I wasn't alone." Elena said. "For a few seconds, it felt like you were there with me."

"It was probably nothing." Maria said, not wanting to give away her secret. She and Elena embraced each other. "I should probably take Bonnie home. It's been a rough day for all of us."

"Are you sure you'll be okay here?" Bonnie asked them.

"Relax, I'm not going anywhere again." Elena told her. "Besides, we've got some catching up to do." She turned to Jeremy.

Bonnie and Maria headed outside. "I think I can handle it."

"You blacked out earlier. You really think driving's a good idea?" Maria pointed out. "Besides, I'm staying with you the next few days, anyway."

"They've been going at it again?"

"Since the whole Katherine thing." Maria pointed out. "Come on." She got into the car and drove off.

At the Boarding House, the guys were talking. "You know, the only way we can protect her is if we're not fighting each other." Stefan said. "Maria's right, we need to pull it together."

"I know. I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Meanwhile, Maria was with Bonnie. "I'll be right back. I just want to check on something, okay?" Maria told her.

"No problem. Besides, you'll probably be here and back before my dad even notices." Bonnie pointed out. Maria ran off using her speed.

A few minutes later, she was back at Elena's place. She looked into the window and saw her sitting on the bed. Then she noticed another figure outside close to her. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd check in to make sure she was still here." Maria said. "And you?"

"Just returning something." Damon told her. They both looked through the window.

"I'm really glad she's okay."

"So am I." Maria turned and looked at him. She noticed something was different about him. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed his arm. The realization came to her before she'd even grabbed it. Instantly, she saw a memory of the last few minutes. She let go of him. He didn't even seem to notice that she grabbed him.

"You did the right thing, you know." Maria told him. "Not that I approve of compulsion or anything, but…"

"After everything I put her through, she deserves to be happy." Damon said. "Besides, if we're going to protect her, we all need to be on the same side."

"Who knew you'd be such a team player?"

"What can I say? Things change."

"We better get down from here." Maria said. They ducked out of sight as Elena glanced back at the window. "I'll meet with you guys tomorrow. I'm staying with Bonnie for a few days." She kissed Damon on the cheek. "Goodnight, Damon." She started to walk away.

"Hey. You know, back when we were at the house, I had a feeling that you were around." He told her. She turned around and looked at him. "I have no idea how he ended up half way across the room by himself, but I have a feeling you were the one who helped us. So, thank you."

"Weird, considering I was here all day." Maria said. "But you're welcome." She began running back to Bonnie's house. Although it had been a hard day on everyone, she felt really good about being able to help out.

Dear Diary,

Elena's safe. I'm too tired to go into all of the details right now, but basically, we managed to get her away from the guys who kidnapped her. I wish I could tell Damon everything, but I can't. He still isn't over her yet. Besides, if we're all going to protect Elena, we can't let anything get in the way. Considering how strong these guys are, we're going to have to keep her safety our priority.


	24. An Old Friend

A few days later, Maria met Elena outside the Boarding House. "Hey, how have you been?"

"Things feel like they've been getting back to normal." Elena said. "Though I am a little more careful these days." She knocked on the door. Damon answered.

"Hello, girls."

"Is Stefan here?" Elena asked. "He called. He said it was important."

"Right this way." Damon said. They headed inside. Stefan showed up.

"Hey." Maria watched as Elena hugged him.

"What is this about?" Then another woman came into the room. She looked familiar. "You." Elena said. Maria walked over to the woman.

"Rosie?"

"Maria, is that you?" Maria ran over and hugged her, to the group's surprise.

"How long has it been?"

"At least a few decades, centuries. How have you been?"

"Wait, you two know each other?" Damon asked.

"Back when I was hanging out with Lexi, we met her during the seventies." Maria explained.

"Trevor and I stayed with them for a while before we moved elsewhere." Rose told them. "We lost contact for a while."

"It's really good to see you." Maria told her.

"It's good to see you too, though I wish it were under better circumstances." Rose said.

The group sat down in the living room. "Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true." Rose explained. "It's the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus, I know he's real." Maria froze. She remembered it was one of the reasons Rose ran in the first place.

"Who is he?" Elena asked.

"He's one of the Originals," Damon told her. "He's a legend."

"From the first generation of vampires." Stefan added.

"Like Elijah?" Elena asked.

"No. Elijah was the Easter Bunny to Klaus." Rose told her. "He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal."

"Klaus is known to be the oldest." Maria said, speaking up for the first time since the conversation started.

"Okay, so you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Rose told her.

"No." Stefan said at the same time.

"What they're saying is, I mean if what she's saying is true…" Damon began.

"Which it is." Rose said.

"And you're saying it so I don't kill you."

"Which I'm not."

"Then we're looking at a solid maybe."

"Look, I know she's telling the truth, guys." Maria said. "I don't want to scare you, but everything she's saying is true."

"Look, Elijah's dead, right? So no one else even know that you exist." Stefan told Elena.

"Not that you know of." Rose pointed out.

"That's not helping." Damon told her.

"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction." Stefan pointed out. "We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time stories."

"He's real and he doesn't give up." Rose said. "If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot."

"Alright, we're shaking. You made your point." Damon said.

"I'm not afraid of him." Maria said. Everyone looked at her. "I'm only afraid of what he might do if he is after her. Aside from that, I'm more angry that he's even after her in the first place."

Elena got up. "Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"To school. I'm late."

"Let me grab my stuff, I'll go with you."

"It's okay, I know where it is." She left the house. _(She leaves)_

"She's in denial." Damon told Rose.

"Shut up, Damon." Stefan told him.

"Can you be anymore insensitive?" Maria asked.

"We better come up with some way to help her." Damon left the room.

"As much as I'd like to stay here, I'm afraid Lena has a point." Maria told Rose. "We've gotta get back to school."

"You should probably warn the others." Rose told her.

"I need time to get ready first." Maria pointed out. "I'm headed to school. I'll see you later."

A few minutes later, she showed up at school. She nearly ran into Jeremy. "Sorry, Jer."

"It's okay." Jeremy said. "Seems like most of my friends are running late today."

"Nothing that a little compulsion can't fix, though I have to admit, I hate using my powers for those reasons." Maria said. "Anything new with you?"

"Not much. Bonnie and I are headed to the Grill later. Oh, and there's this new guy at school." He told her.

"Wow. Sounds like you're morning's been eventful." Maria said.

"Not really, except I somehow got stuck with showing Luka around school." Jeremy told her. "I'll see you around." He left.

As soon as her last class ended, she ran into Caroline outside. "Whoa! Maria, watch your step."

"Sorry. I just keep running into others today. Literally." Maria said.

"Maybe you should pay more attention to where you're walking." Stefan told her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. And I can't help it if I'm a little clumsy sometimes." Maria said. "So, Care, what's up?"

"I told Tyler I'm a vampire." Caroline said.

"Whoa."

"I don't know what to do."

"Why don't we go somewhere and talk about this?" Stefan suggested.

A few minutes later, they were sitting at the Grill. "Sorry to drag you here but if I don't eat, I get these killing some people urge." Caroline told them. "Tyler totally has it too by the way."

"Yeah, what else did you say to him?" Stefan asked.

"Not much. I was trying to keep the questions to a minimum." Caroline explained. "Are you mad?"

"Of course not. From what I'm getting, he attacked you and you didn't have a choice." Maria told her.

"As a matter of fact, I am a little mad. I mean, you put yourself a risk. If Damon finds out…"

"But you're not gonna tell him, are you?"

"No, of course not. He would kill you."

"And we can't have that happening." Maria added.

"Always looking out for me." Caroline said.

"Yeah. Well, you don't exactly make it easy on me." Stefan told her.

"Then why do you do it? Why are you such a good friend to me?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know. I guess you… you remind me of someone. My best friend, Lexi."

"I… you have a friend?" Caroline asked.

"You say that with such a discouraging amount of surprise, Caroline."

"No, I just… sorry. I just… tell me about her."

"She was pretty cool and knew how to have fun." Maria told her.

"I've got to go."

"Wait! No! What do we do about Tyler? I don't want Damon to kill him 'cause there's a full moon coming up and Tyler is totally freaking out about it." Caroline told them.

"The best thing you can do is be there for him, Care." Maria said. "You're his friend and I know it could be risky, but that's pretty much all you can do." She got up to go.

"I guess I'll see you at school."

"Actually, I'm taking a few days off." Maria told them. "There's something I have to do. I'll see you around." She walked away from them. As she left, she passed by Bonnie.

"Maria…"

"Bonnie, what is it?"

"I have a really weird feeling about the new guy." Bonnie told her.

"The same one that goes to our school?" Maria asked. Bonnie blinked in surprise. "Jeremy told me about him this morning."

"Yeah, there's something off about him."

"Well, it's his first day, you know?" Maria pointed out.

"Yeah, I just saw him and his dad. He asked about my family's ancestry. You know, if they were from Salem." Bonnie said.

"That is weird." Maria said. "Maybe you should try avoiding him for a while. I'll be out of here for a few days, but if you have any more issues with them, call me."

"I will." Bonnie told her.

It didn't take long for Maria to get to the Boarding House. A few minute later, she left her room and headed into the hallway. Rose noticed her. "Hey, how did everything go?"

"Oh, the usual. Someone nearly took us out inside a coffee shop." Rose told her.

"Well, that's a new one." Maria said. Rose noticed the bag in her hand.

"You're leaving?"

"I have to warn the others and there's no way I can do it over the phone, cause they'll just come anyway." Maria told her. "They need to hear it in person and they need to understand why I'm cutting off communication with them until this whole mess is over."

"What about the others here?" Rose asked.

"I should only be gone three days, maybe a week at the most." Maria told her. "Besides, no one else can do it." She sighed. She knew that Rose knew that she was right, but she still hated leaving them like this. "Just help them here, okay?"

"I'll do whatever I can to help your friends here." Rose told her.

"Thanks, Rose." Maria stepped out of the Boarding House and ran off into the night.


	25. By the Light of the Moon

Elena was sitting in the living room, and she was really angry. Thanks to her best friend, she was stuck inside the house and couldn't leave. Not to mention, her other friends were missing as well. Stefan was stuck in the tomb with Katherine, Bonnie was trying to figure out how to unspell the moonstone, and who knew what Damon was up to?

"I can't believe I'm locked in my own house." She said into the phone.

"I hate to say this, but you probably deserve it. Rose told me all about your suicide mission."

"Yeah, but the worst part is that I though Bonnie understood. I don't want anyone else to die because of me."

"Elena, I understand. But you can't die on us, either." Maria sighed on the other end of the line. "I've only been gone for like, a day or two, and everything's falling apart for you guys."

"Yeah, we're all trying to work things out here." Elena told her.

"How's everyone doing?"

"Well, my boyfriend's locked in the tomb with his psycho ex-girlfriend, and everyone else has disappeared on me today. After Bonnie spelled me into the house, she's been out."

"I'll try to make it back soon. But I need to take care of things here first." Maria told her.

"Good luck with everything." Elena said.

"Same to you guys. And please don't try to get yourself killed before I get back."

"Don't worry, I won't." Maria hung up after she finished talking.

Back in the house, Damon showed up. "You should really lock your door. Oh, come on pouty. Just give me two points for ingenuity."

"You think this is funny?" Elena snapped at him.

"Yes, Elena. I find hilarity in the lengths that I have to go to repeatedly save your life." He shot back.

"What does Stefan say about this?"

"Pretty good laugh."

"And what did he say about Elijah still being alive?" Elena asked. Damon sat next to her.

"Yeah, that... I didn't tell him." He said.

"Why not?"

"Well _A_: he can't do anything about it, and _B_: what I just said."

"Well, since you're enjoying this so much, you'll be happy to know Maria's on your side with this one." Elena told him.

"Speaking of, how's that half-witch doing?" He asked.

"She's busy, but she seems to be okay." Elena told him. She'd noticed he'd gotten a little more stressed since she left. "You don't need to be worried about her. Being a vampire who can also do magic, I'm sure she can handle herself."

"I'm not worried about her." Damon told her. That was a lie. He knew he cared about her like a sister, anyway. "She's not the one on a suicide mission."

"We've been over this already, Damon." Elena said. Jeremy came into the room just then.

"Where's Bonnie?" Damon asked.

"I thought she was meeting you." Jeremy told him.

"No, she's on moonstone duty and I'm on Elena patrol." Damon explained.

"And who's on Tyler Lockwood and the full moon?"

"Vampire Barbie asked me if she can handle this and why not? Because if she screws up he'll bite her and then I'll be rid of two of my problems." Damon said.

"Hold on a second. Tonight is a full moon?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, but you were too wrapped up in your suicidal tendencies to notice." He told her. His phone rang, so he answered it.

"I wonder what she'd think if she found out about this." Jeremy told Elena.

"I think she'd tell Caroline to go for it, anyway. I mean, since she's friends with him and everything." Elena told him.

"Change of plans. I'm going out. You watch her." Damon said. He got up. "Hey, you know. You should get out, enjoy the sun. Oh, wait. You can't." Elena threw one of the couch pillows at him. Jeremy started laughing, so she pushed him off of her.

After his confrontation with Jules at the Grill, Damon headed back to the Boarding House and locked the door. He went into the library to find Rose waiting. "You just can't stay away, can you?" He said. He was still angry about her running off the other day.

"You don't answer your phone." She pointed out.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to apologize."

"Just admit it, you don't have anywhere else to go." He pointed out.

"I'm sorry about Elena. I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't know she had a death wish but I called you, I tried to make it right, okay?" Rose told him. "I'm sorry, Damon. And I have nowhere else to go."

"There's nothing for you here, Rose."

"That's not true. I promised Maria I'd help you three." She told him. "Of course, that was before I knew about Elena's true intention. Still, I've never betrayed a friend before and I'm not going to start now."

"You know…" Suddenly, they heard a crash and went into the living room. A wolf was there. It rushed over to them. Rose pushed Damon out of the way. It jumped on her and bit her in the shoulder. She screamed in pain.

Damon picked up the sword and stabbed the wolf with it. It ran from the room, escaping from them. He turned to Rose, who was still lying on the ground. "How bad is it?"

"It hurts." She told him. They looked at it and were surprised as it began to heal.

"It's healing."

"Oh my God, I thought a werewolf bite was fatal and I thought…" Damon held Rose as she cried. A few hours later, she calmed down and sat with him in the living room.

"I talked to Caroline. She said Tyler was all locked up." He told her.

"So it was Jules. The other werewolf, the one who attacked you."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I picked a fight with her. She was coming after me."

"It's okay. Besides, promise or no promise, I would've taken the hit either way." Rose told him.

"Really? Why?"

"Because you're my friend." Rose said. "It's that simple."

"You two are a lot alike, you know." Damon told her. "You and Maria, I mean."

"That's not surprising, we've known each other for a while. Once I ran into her at the Botanic Gardens. Turned out we were both there for research projects." The two of them talked for a few minutes, before she felt a pain in her shoulder. Damon looked at it to find it looking infected, to their surprise.


	26. Leaving and Returning

The next day, Elena was at the Boarding House. She was on the phone with Maria. "We need help. Rose got bitten by a werewolf."

"Oh, no. I'm on my way. This is part of the reason why I left. I've been working on a cure for about a year."

"How soon can you get here?"

"I don't know, but I'll try to be there as soon as possible." Maria told her. She hung up on her end.

Elena was in the hallway, heading toward the living room. "I was born in 1450, that makes me 560 years old." Rose was saying.

"Well, if you were a bottle of wine…" Damon said, trying to lighten the mood.

"So I can die. I've lived long enough." She told him.

"You know, if you're gonna be morn, I'm just gonna kill you myself just to put me out of your misery." He poured blood into a glass on the table. "Come on, it's just a little werewolf bite."

"Just a little, fatal to a vampire werewolf bite."

"Well, according to a legend which is notoriously unreliable source." He pointed out, handing it to her. "Blood heals."

_"_Yeah, it does feel like it's working." Rose said.

"Let's have a look, come on. Let me see." He looked her shoulder, which looked a little worse than it did before.

"How is it?" Rose asked.

"Definitely better." Damon lied. "Right, Elena?" Elena had walked in just then and was surprised at how bad it looked.

_"_Uh, it's not bad." She said, following his lead.

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked her.

"He left. I need you to talk to him. He's convinced that he has to find Isobel but I think that's gonna upset Elijah." Elena told him.

"No can do. I'm with Stefan on this one but if you could play nurse for a little while…"

"It's not necessary." Rose protested.

"It is necessary. Elena is a do-gooder." Damon explained. "It's in her nature, she just can't resist." He left the room. Elena followed him out into the hall.

"Damon. Is she gonna die?" Elena asked.

"Probably. The wolf bite caused some kind of infection and it's getting worse." He told her.

"Like poison?"

"I don't know, Elena. I'm not an expert in the field."

"I'm sorry."

"Death happens." He pointed out. "We come, we go. Sooner she dies will better. It's gloomy as hell in here." He left.

A few hours later, Elena was with Rose. She had almost attacked her earlier, but she was helping doing the best she could to help. "I'm scared."

"You're not alone. I'm right here." Elena told her.

"I wish I could go home."

"Tell me about it."

" , 30 kilometers of the south of London. With fields and trees and horses."

"Sounds beautiful." Elena said.

"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted, I just wish I wouldn't have been so afraid." Rose told her.

"Well, Maria certainly thinks you're one of the strongest people she's ever known." Elena said.

"Yeah, though things were much different then."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Well, one night we were all headed back to our apartment, when a few rookie vampires decided to ambush us." Rose explained. "Maria still didn't have some of her abilities down yet and struggled in the fight. Just when one of them was about to finish her, I stepped in and took him out. She seemed upset about it, but I explained that even older ones have trouble fighting sometimes."

"She's lucky to have a friend like you." Elena told her. Still, part of her worried that Maria wouldn't make it in time. And who knew how long it would be before Damon snapped?

Hours later, Elena returned to Damon's room. After spending a good part of the day locked in Stefan's room, she and Damon found her and brought her back to the Boarding House. "I'm sorry, Elena. I don't like taking human lives, I never have."

"You shouldn't be here." Damon told Elena.

"It's the worst part about it: the hunt, the need to kill, the thirst, the pleasure it brings you afterwards. I wasn't meant to be evil. It hurts." Rose continued.

"Stop talking about it."

"Damon's a lot like me. He wants to care but when he does he runs away from it. I'm sorry for what I've done today."

"I know." Elena said.

"And you need to fight. I know you're scared but you have to do it anyway." Rose told her. She coughed, and Elena headed over to her to offer her support. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Us humans." Elena said.

"You can never forget it, what it's like to be human. It haunts me. It's the only thing that keeps me going. It doesn't hurt much anymore." Suddenly, she screamed in pain.

_"_What do we do?" Elena asked Damon.

"Just go, I got this." Damon told her. She left the room. It wasn't until she was outside that she noticed a figure.

"You're here." Elena said.

"Sorry I'm late. I accidentally took a wrong turn somewhere. How's she doing?"

"Not so good. They're up in Damon's room." Elena told her. Maria walked over to the house. Before she even touched the doorknob, she could feel something was wrong.

"Elena, you should wait here. He's going to need your support."

"Okay." Elena said.

Maria headed inside, but she knew it was too late. "Sorry, Rose."

"Maria…" She gasped when she heard Rose's voice in her head. "Thanks for trying to help me."

"Thanks for helping my friends. I'll miss you." Maria said.

"It was nothing. Besides, this was the only way they could save me. Just keep helping Damon. He doesn't realize it, but he needs you more than he believes." With that, her voice faded.

A few minutes later, Damon returned from hiding Rose's body to find Elena in the living room. "You were supposed to leave." He pointed out.

"I did, but then I came back to make sure that you're okay." Elena explained. She handed him a drink.

"I appreciate the gesture. I'm just glad it's over."

"You know I don't believe that." Elena said.

"Go home, Elena. Get some rest. It's a whole new day tomorrow." Elena wasn't about to give up on him yet, though.

"Damon, I'm your friend."

"I'm well aware of that."

"And a friend usually knows when her friend is hurting."

"What do you want to hear?" Damon asked her. "That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset? Well I didn't and I'm not."

"There you go, pretending to turn it off, pretending not to feel." Elena pointed out. "Damon, you're so close, don't give up."

"I feel Elena, okay? And it sucks!" He told her. "What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me. Jules was coming after me."

"You feel guilty?"

"That would be human of me, wouldn't Elena? And I'm not human." Damon reminded her. "You want to talk about giving up? All you've done is give up! Go home. It's been enough doom, gloom and personal growth for one night."

"Okay, I will." Elena went over and hugged him. "Good night, Damon." She left the house afterward. Damon watched after her. It was probably why he didn't notice someone else had come into the room.

"Damon." He looked up and saw Maria.

"You're back." Maria tried to walk over to him, but she seemed unstable. He moved a little closer to her to see if she was okay. It wasn't long until she broke down in his arms.

"I am so sorry, Damon." She cried. "I was too late to save her. It's my fault she's gone." Damon was surprised. He had no idea what to do this time. He found himself slowly returning her embrace. They just stayed like that, holding each other for a long time. He was still upset about Rose, but at the same time, he was glad he wasn't alone right now.

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm the one who picked a fight with a werewolf." He finally said after what felt like forever.

"If I had been faster, maybe I would've been able to do something." Maria whispered.

"Hey, we both tried to save her. In the end, it just wasn't enough." She knew he was right, this time, anyway. She tried to move to the stairs, but nearly fell on the way. "Need a hand?"

"Thanks." He helped her get upstairs and led her back to her room. By the time he checked back on her to see if she was okay, he found her asleep on her bed. Quietly, he walked away from her room.


	27. Friends or Foes

The following morning, Maria woke up as she heard the guys arguing downstairs.

"Damon, Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed. Elena is putting all of her faith into some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe." Stefan was saying. "I mean, do you trust Elijah? I don't trust him. He's an Original, he can't be trusted. It's not like we can just go up and kill him because apparently he can't die!"

"I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer." Damon told him.

"He knew about the sacrifice. Isobel told him. He said he know of a way to keep Elena safe."

"And how do we do that?"

"He's not talking. At least not to me anyway."

"Great work Stefan. Top notch. As if I didn't have enough problems." Damon turned to leave the room.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Rose." Stefan told him.

"Whatever. I knew the woman for 5 minutes."

"And you cared about her after 5 minutes." A few minutes later, Maria got up and went into Damon's room.

"You know, you can always knock."

"Sorry." Maria said. "You know, you don't have to feel guilty about what happened. I'm the one who was late with the cure."

"I picked a fight with Jules, I'm the reason she got bitten in the first place." Damon pointed out. "It should've been me. I should be dead right now."

"How can you say that?!" He looked at Maria in surprise. He had never seen her angry before, and it kinda scared him. "You don't deserve to die, Damon! You never did!" She stormed out of the room.

Maria was lying down on her bed when Stefan came in. "You okay?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that." She told him, sitting up. He sat down next to her.

"Look, my brother doesn't think before he says things sometimes."

"I know. It just makes me so mad." Maria said. "The fact he'd even consider thinking that."

"You care about him." Stefan pointed out. Maria blushed and turned away from him. "Hey, it's okay. To some extent, we all do."

"Great."

"Hey, remember when Lexi tried to set us up on a blind date?"

"Oh, who can forget that disaster?" Maria asked. "It was so awkward because we already knew each other, or at least, had seen each other."

"And then we had to pretend to date because she was listening in nearby." Stefan said.

"Yeah, I don't know where it started to go downhill, but I remember both of us ending up covered in food after that food fight."

"Lexi nearly intervened at that point." They were both laughing now.

"Though, it really helped us become friends." Maria said. She got up. "Thanks, Stefan. You always know what to say."

"What are friends for? Besides, it looked like you could use some cheering up." Just then, Maria's phone vibrated. She looked at the message and frowned. "What is it?"

"Caroline." Maria said. "Tyler knows about you two."

"Maybe we should talk to him." Stefan said. Maria looked at him. "Well, would you rather have him dead?"

"No, but I don't like where this is going." Maria told him.

A few minutes later, they were at the Lockwood's mansion. Tyler was surprised when Stefan showed up. He tried to leave the room, when Maria walked in. "Tyler, wait. He's not going to hurt you."

"Why did he break in?" Tyler asked. "And why are you even here?"

"A-he's my friend," Maria said. "And B-so is Caroline."

"So, she sent you to talk or something?"

"Pretty much." Stefan said. They all froze as they heard Mrs. Lockwood coming toward the room. Maria ducked under the desk. Tyler looked in her direction. When he turned, Stefan had disappeared.

"Tyler, I'm leaving for the memorial." Carol called into the room.

"Okay." He called back. As soon as she left, Maria came out from under the desk.

"Ow. That's going to leave a serious cramp in the back for a few days."

"Okay, let's talk about this." They both jumped, surprised when Stefan returned.

"You've got to stop doing that." Tyler said.

"You get used to it after a while." Maria told him. "That is, unless Caroline's not your friend."

"What happened to Mason?" Tyler asked.

"Tyler, there's a lot for us to talk about." Stefan told him. He tried to leave, but he stopped him. "I wouldn't do that. Without a full moon you're no match for me."

"You don't want to do this, Tyler." Maria said.

"Why are you defending him?" Tyler asked her.

"Because he's my friend and your Uncle Mason tried to kill him." Maria explained. Tyler looked surprised.

"She's telling the truth." Stefan told him. The three of them sat down together. "Look, about Caroline, no matter what her flaws are, if an issue comes you'll want to have that girl on your side. She's your friend, stop being a dick to her."

"I thought vampires hated werewolves." Tyler said.

"That's some sort of leftover idea from another time. It doesn't have to be that way anymore." Stefan explained. "We go to the same school. We have the same friends. We keep the same secrets. This can work, Tyler. I mean, it's your home, it's my home too. I want this to work."

"So do I. And I'm pretty much the only normal one here." Maria said. She wasn't ready for Tyler to know her secret. From what Caroline told her, he only knew about the Salvatore brothers and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Don't you find it weird that you're friends are…"

"Supernatural? Not at all. One of my cousins was a witch." Maria told him.

"I guess we kinda got off on the wrong foot." Tyler said.

"I came back to this town because I wanted a life, I wanted to exist where I can have friends and where I can build a family." Stefan told him. Just then, his phone rang.

"I got the wrong idea about you guys." Tyler said.

"Hey, we all get impressions sometimes." Maria said. "When I first met you, you sort of creeped me out."

"Hey. Is everything okay?" Stefan said into the phone.

"That depends. How bad you want to keep her alive?" A woman on the other end asked. Maria listened in and she knew Tyler was, too.

"Who is this?"

"Ask your brother. Where's Tyler?"

"Jules? Where's Caroline?"

"You made a mistake, Stefan. I gonna give you a chance to fix it."

"Where is she?"

"Right here. Want proof?" Suddenly, Caroline screamed in pain. Maria looked over at Tyler. He seemed lost.

"Caroline's in trouble." She told him.

"Hurt her again and you're dead."

"I hurt her again and she's dead. Bring Tyler to me, the clearing by Wickery falls. You have 20 minutes until she dies."

"You two go rescue Caroline." Maria said. "I have to let them know what's happening." She looked at Stefan. "I know it's a bad idea, but this is Caroline and we have to do something."

"Come on." Stefan said. Tyler followed him out of the room. Maria ran outside and called the others.

At the Grill, Damon had just turned down Jenna's friend, Andie Star. "You totally blew her off" Elena said.

"I'm staying clear of all women at the moment." He told her. "Especially Maria, since I'm afraid she might set me on fire in my sleep after this morning."

"You didn't have to be rude." Elena pointed out. "And there's a difference between when she's angry and hurt, Damon."

"Trust me, it's on the best interest of women everywhere." Elena's phone rang.

"What's going on?" Suddenly, Maria showed up.

"We have a big problem." She told them.

They headed into the restroom for privacy. "Why am I just finding out about this now?" Damon asked.

"Stefan was worried that you…" Elena began.

"That I'll what? That I'd kill him? Of course, it's what needs to happen."

"No Damon, not Tyler. Do whatever you need to do to get Caroline back but just leave Tyler out of it, okay?" Elena told him.

"I know that all our supernatural…races can be a bit territorial when a member from another attacks one of their own kind, but Ty's been their friend for a long time." Maria pointed out.

"Damon please. Too many people are dead." Elena said.

"You need to stop doing that." Damon said. He didn't know which of them he was addressing.

"Doing what?"

"Assuming that I'll play the good guy because it's you who's asking."

"Be a better man, Damon." Just then, John walked in on them.

"Really?" Maria groaned.

"Do you mind?" Damon asked.

"What's going on?" John asked them.

"Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"Well guess what John, trust works both ways." Damon told him. "Get out."

"Look, we don't have time for this. We need to get Caroline back." Elena pointed out.

"I'll take care of it." Damon told them. He turned to John. "First dad duty: ground your daughter. Keep her here." He left the room.

"Elena, I'm going, too." Maria said. "I'm not going to let this turn into something worse than it already is."

"What can you possibly do to help them?" John asked her.

"If you're smart, you'll get out of my way. You've already killed one of my friends." Maria said. She walked out, leaving him stunned. She went outside and closed her eyes, trying to find where everyone was. Then she took off for the forest.

By the time she got there, the guys were fighting off a group of werewolves. She remained hidden, watching the mess that was going down. The Salvatores seemed to be winning, until one of the girls pushed Caroline against the RV and placed a gun to her. Tyler seemed to shocked to do anything. Maria got up and used the pain spell on the girl that had Caroline pinned down.

To her surprise, it was happening to the others as well. The girl passed out and it wasn't long before the others did too.

"What's happening?" Caroline asked.

"What the hell is going on?" Maria appeared and helped Caroline up.

"You all right?" She nodded. Suddenly, another man appeared. Maria realized he was a warlock.

"Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's up held. You need to go. Get out of here. Now." He told them. Caroline, Damon, and Stefan left. Maria turned to the warlock.

"Thank you, Dr. Martin."

"Do I know you?"

"I'm a friend of Bonnie Bennett." Maria told him. "I have to go now." She ran out of the forest.

A few minutes later, Maria and Stefan were dropping Caroline off at home. "So is your mom home?" Stefan asked.

"No, she's at work." Caroline told them.

"I can come in if you want me to"

"I'm fine, Stefan." Caroline told him.

"You don't have to pretend with me. Anybody would be upset after what you went through tonight."

"I'm okay. I'm not girly little Caroline anymore. I can handle myself." She pointed out.

"I'm staying anyway." Maria said. "In case you need someone to talk to."

"Thanks."

"Good night."

"Good night." Caroline closed the door.

"Um, Care?"

"Oops." Caroline opened the door and let Maria in. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Why don't you take a shower or something?" Maria told her. "I'll be right here in the living room." A few minutes later, Caroline was sitting with her.

"Thanks for the rescue, earlier. It was pretty awful." Caroline told her.

"I could tell." Maria said. "It looked like you were in a really tough spot." Someone knocked on the door. Caroline answered and saw it was Tyler.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm fine."

"I had no idea they would come for you."

"Do you know what they did to me?" Maria appeared in the doorway. She knew this wouldn't end well.

"I'm sorry but it's crazy now okay? I don't know who to trust. You lied to me." Tyler pointed out.

"I lied to protect my friends. I lied to protect you. Don't you get that?" Caroline told him.

"Caroline…"

"You just stood there when they were going to kill us. You just stood there! You didn't do anything!"

"I didn't know what to do!"

"Care, this probably isn't a good time to…" Maria began.

"You help your friends, that's what you do." Caroline said.

"I'm sorry." Tyler told her.

"No, it's too late because we're not friends anymore and what happened to me tonight, that will never happen again so you take that back to your little werewolf pack and you get the hell out of my house!" Caroline said, slamming the door on him.

"Caroline, he was just confused." Maria told her. "It isn't easy for him, either." Then a thought occurred to her. "Are you drunk?"

"No, what makes you say that?"

"You're a little more emotional than usual." Maria said.

"Okay, I may have had one or two."

"That's it, I'm calling an intervention." Maria told her. She headed into the hall and got on the phone. "Hey."

"Hey, how is she?" Stefan asked.

"Not so good." Maria told him. "Any ideas?"

"I'm bringing some help." A few minutes, later he showed up.

"That was fast."

"You called him?" Caroline asked.

"Calm down, we're just here to help."

"I brought some back-up." She was surprised when Elena and Bonnie walked in.

"We're staying over." Elena told her.

"We haven't done it in ages." Bonnie said. Maria left the room so they could have a moment.

Back at the Boarding House, Damon was with Andie, the news reporter. "I can't believe you called me. I thought I was being way to forward when I had Jenna give you my number."

"I like a woman who knows what she wants."

"Thank you, so what do you want mister tall, dark and handsome?"

"You see, the thing is, miss sexy reporter girl, I have a problem I need help with." He told her. "It's really messing with my mind."

"Oh, tell me about it."

"I'm in love with a woman I can never have. And one of my only friends is angry with me." He explained.

"I knew it. I know how to pick them. So why can't you have her? She's with another man I assume?" Andie asked him.

"Yeah, but that's not the point. The point is I'm in love with her and that drives me crazy. I'm not in control."

"And your friend?"

"She's mad at me because I said that I'd be better off dead instead of some other friend of hers that died."

"Well, maybe she cares about you." Andie said.

"You wanna know the weird part? I think I might love with both of them, and it's out of my control."

"You don't trust yourself near them?"

"I don't trust myself around anyone, Andie. I'm bad, Andie. I do things." Damon explained. "I kill people." He realized his mistake and compelled her. "Don't be afraid, you're okay."

"Why do you kill people?"

"Because I like it. It's in my nature, it's who I am but then I have to stay together to protect one of them and she wants me to be the better man which means I can't be who I am. Do you see the problem I'm having, Andie?"

"Well, maybe this is who you are now." Andie told him. "Love does that Damon, it changes us."

"Now you're starting to sound like the other one."

"Well, maybe she has a good point." He thought about it.

**A/N: And that's it for this chapter. What do you think Maria meant when she said Damon never deserved to die? And what did you think of Damon's confession to Andie? Do you think he's really falling for Maria? Let me know your thoughts and review. **


	28. The Doppelganger Plan

Maria woke up at Bonnie's house. A couple weeks after they'd saved Caroline, they had spent some time together working on spells. At least, up until Jonas showed up and took Bonnie's powers. She had been a little upset about it. "I can't believe they're gone, right when we need them the most."

"It's okay, Bonnie. You're not the only witch on this team." Maria said. "Besides, it's nice to get a little time to be normal now and then."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Bonnie said. "So, are they meeting us at school?"

"Yeah, they got back from the lake house a couple days ago." Maria got up and got her bag.

"Where are you going?"

"If I don't finish getting dressed soon, we're going to be late for school." Maria pointed out.

"Right. How did I forget that?"

"Comes with the stress of the supernatural, I guess." Maria said. A few minutes later, she had changed into jeans, a new white top, and a denim jacket.

As soon as they got to school, Maria looked at her phone and noticed someone calling her. "How come you didn't know it was…"

"I had it on silent." Maria told her. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Can we meet at school? It's important."

"I'm already there, Stef. What's up?"

Bonnie and Maria were at her locker when Jeremy approached them. "Hey, guys."

"Hey." Maria said. "So, how are you two?"

"How did you know?" Bonnie asked.

"Please, it wasn't that hard. You two have been spending a lot of time together. I figured it'd happen sooner or later." Maria told them. She noticed Stefan walking over to them. "Hey, what's going on?"

"We have a slight problem." Stefan said. A few minutes later, the others were in shock.

"What?" Maria practically yelled. "She tried to play you guys again? That woman knows nothing about respecting anyone's privacy."

"Yeah, according to Damon, Elijah's compulsion wore off the minute we killed him." Stefan explained. "She said she wanted to help us, but I don't believe her."

"After all the hell she's put you two through, I don't even trust the bitch." Maria said.

"Wait. Wait. Back up." Bonnie said. "She's out of the tomb?"

"Yeah, we're dealing with it, all right?" Stefan told them. "Just be extra careful. She's getting a little too good at impersonating Elena."

"I can always tell the difference even if she does." The others looked at her. "Her aura is a lot darker than Elena's."

"With Katherine still around, we gotta find a way to get your powers back." Jeremy said.

"Listen, I want to get the Martins on our side. I want to figure out a way for us all to work together now that Elijah's out of the picture." Stefan said.

"It's impossible. They hate us." Bonnie pointed out.

"It's either win them over or somebody's going to end up dead. You think you can at least convince them to have a civil conversation?" Stefan asked her.

"I'll try."

"Thanks. Keep me posted." He left the three of them standing there.

"Okay. I gotta get to class." Bonnie told them.

" All right, I'll see you later." Jeremy said.

"I doubt that, considering they're having a girls' night." Maria pointed out. Bonnie was looking around.

"Come on. Elena's nowhere in sight." Jeremy said. Bonnie kissed him. (She kisses him)

"I'll tell her soon. I promise." Bonnie told him.

"Okay." She left down the hall.

"She doesn't know?" Maria asked.

"Well, she's kinda in a rough place." Jeremy pointed out. "I mean, she is my sister's best friend, you know."

"Yeah." Maria said. "I think she'd be happy for you two, though. I mean, weirder things have happened, right?"

"You have no idea." Maria laughed. They headed down separate directions of the hallway.

That night, Maria had gotten back from Elena's. She was going to meet with the girls later. She was surprised when she saw Katherine still in the house, reading through the journals with Damon. She looked up. Maria decided to play along with it. "Elena, I thought you were spending the night with Bonnie and Caroline."

"Damon was just asking me to help him find something." Katherine told her. "I'll probably meet them later…" She paused, trying to think of a name. Did she even know this girl? Maria and Damon exchanged glances, knowing they had to think of something.

"Marissa." Maria said. She didn't want to use her real name, not like she was using it now, either way. "You know, I transferred to your school last winter?"

"Right, I guess it slipped my mind." Katherine said. "I haven't seen you around often."

"Uh, Marissa, you mind if we talk upstairs for a minute?" Damon asked. They headed upstairs. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about your research and wanted to help." Maria said. She lowered her voice so that only he could hear her. "And I've been having a bad feeling about things. We need to be careful." He nodded. They headed back down stairs.

"So, how do you know each other?" Katherine asked.

"It's a long story." Damon said.

"To make it short, I used to live with his uncle's brother." Maria said. She wanted to slap herself. She was horrible at lying. "I'll let you two get on with your…studying." She ran upstairs.

A few minutes later, she headed back down. She felt that something wasn't wrong. "Find anything?" Stefan asked Damon.

"No." He showed him the journal. Maria looked over his shoulder for a second. Then she felt it again.

"Guys, something's not right." She told them. "I'm going to check something." She headed to the basement. Katherine was looking around, too. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know." Katherine told her. She turned to leave. That was when they heard it. Katherine and Maria looked in the cellar and saw the dagger lifting itself out. Maria recognized the essence of the person.

"That's not something you see every day." She said, trying to seem as normal as possible. Katherine ran in and tried to push the dagger back in. Maria could sense Luka struggling. She knew she couldn't use magic in front of her, though. After what she tried with Bonnie, the last thing she needed was other enemies knowing about her powers.

Maria went into the room as Katherine released the dagger. She looked around. "Uh, witches. They always interefere where they don't belong."

"I wonder why they're trying too…" Maria cut off as she saw a chair break. Katherine noticed too. She didn't see anyone other than Maria.

"Are you…"

"It's not me, I swear." Maria said. For the first time she'd ever known her, Katherine looked frightened. She sensed Luka move toward Katherine with a stake.

"Damon!" She screamed. Maria watched in shock as she was staked. Thankfully, he'd missed her heart. Damon showed up.

"Katherine." Maria helped her remove the stake. "What happened?" Maria just pointed to Elijah's body. He saw the dagger being removed again. He picked up a flamethrower.

"I suggest you go hide until it's over." Damon told her. "This could be painful for you." Maria got out of the room and tuned out. The last thing she needed was to see another witch die. She waited in the hallway, but found Stefan heading toward them.

Maria was in the living room by the time it was over. "Are you okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah. He was right though, I couldn't handle it." Maria said. "I'm going to the Grill. I'll see you guys later." She got up and left.

As soon as she got to the Grill, she found Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna. She walked over to them as Jenna went over to Alaric. "Hey, what happened? I thought girls' night was at your place."

"We had a change of plans." Elena told her.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Bonnie asked.

"I needed a break from the guys." Maria told them. "Since they're still having a little trouble with…you know."

"Uh, she's back?" Caroline asked. She noticed Matt nearby. "Hey, Matt." He just ignored her and walked off.

"Things just got real awkward." Bonnie said.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Elena. You're the only one of us not going through guy problems." Maria said. She was still angry with Damon, but she had no idea why.

The girls listened to the band for a while. Caroline glanced over at Matt. "You should talk to him." Maria said. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"He said the ball's in your court." Bonnie added.

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it." Caroline told them.

"Why not? All you do is talk about how much you care about him." Bonnie pointed out.

"Yeah, but I am still keeping so many secrets." She pointed out.

"Alaric's in the same boat with Jenna and maybe that's our mistake." Elena said. "We're trying to protect the people that we love by keeping them out of it, but in the end, we're hurting them anyway." Maria looked at her, realizing she was right.

"It can be really hard sometimes." Caroline headed toward the stage.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked. They watched as Caroline took the microphone.

"Hey, everybody. Let's hear it for the band!" She said. "Weren't they awesome? So, there's this guy. And, uh, he told me to tell him how I feel about him. Like it's so easy. Um, you know, just 'cause I talk a lot doesn't mean I always know what I'm actually talking about." The girls looked at each other. This wasn't going well so far. "Ah, like now, I'm feeling loopy and I don't really know how to express myself. I can sing. Yeah! Yeah. You know what, I'm going to sing." She turned toward the band and spoke with them.

"She really knows how to draw attention." Maria said.

"That's the beauty of Caroline." Elena said. "She always makes you notice things." They watched as Caroline sang onstage. Everyone cheered when Matt went onstage and kissed her.

"Good work, Caroline." Maria whispered so softly, that only Care heard it.

A few minutes later, Maria and Bonnie were talking. "So, how'd you know about us?" Bonnie asked. "I mean, you know…me and…"

"Since the masquerade ball." Maria said. "I see the way you look at each other. How scared he was when you passed out while we rescued Elena from that house."

"Good to know I'm not the only one who can see things like that." Bonnie said.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have to pretend for my sake. I might not be Damon's biggest fan, but I can see you're into him."

"But he's into someone else." Maria said. "Though sometimes I wonder what he really thinks of me." Bonnie got up and headed to the bathroom, at the same time Elena was headed toward her.

"I... I wouldn't. Caroline and Matt are..."

"In the bathroom?"

"Uh, do they know the definition of PDA?" Maria said.

"If they're happy, I'm happy." Elena said.

"Um, hey, speaking of happy, would it freak you out if I started dating your brother?" Bonnie asked.

"You're into my brother?" Elena said.

"I know it's weird, um, but he's been so good and strong. It makes me happy and I really can't tell what you're thinking..."

"I'm thinking that... My brother has had more pain in his life than a hundred people's worth of pain, and... He deserves to be with someone as amazing as you." Elena said.

"Really?"

"Really."

"See, I told you it was nothing to worry about." Maria said. Suddenly, she felt something. "Uh-oh."

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"Dr. Martin. He's here." Maria said. "And he seems really unstable. We have to get out of here." Luckily, Maria noticed Elena leaving, so it put her out of harm's way. But the others were still in danger if they stayed here.

"Maybe I should try talking to him."

"Bonnie, it's not going to work." Maria said. "You can try if you want, but I'll be over here. Be very careful." Bonnie walked over to Dr. Martin. Maria listened in on them from where she was sitting while pretending to read.

"Dr. Martin. You ok?" Bonnie asked.

"Where is she?" Maria knew he meant Elena. It was a good thing she left.

"I don't understand."

"My son is dead." He told her. So it was Luka in the basement earlier, Maria thought. She thought she had been seeing things. Then again, Emily always told her things were bigger than they seemed.

"Whatever it is you think you need to do, there's a better way." Bonnie told him.

"They killed Elijah and they killed Luka and my only shot at getting my daughter back is if I have Elena."

"No. No, Dr. Martin." Suddenly, the lights broke. Maria looked over. She knew Dr. Martin was doing this.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her." Bonnie shrieked as the rest of them broke. Maria ran over to her.

"Okay, now it's a good idea to run!" Maria said. She grabbed her arm and they both ran out as fast as they could. She saw Elena outside. "You have to get out of here."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Just make sure Bonnie gets back to my place okay." Elena told her. The two of them ran far away from her sight. It was only then Maria realized it wasn't Elena.

"Whoa, she really has gotten better at this." Maria said.

"What?"

"Later. Right now, just trust me." Bonnie closed her eyes. Maria sped over to Elena's house.

A few minutes later, the girls were with Jeremy in the kitchen. "Luka... I can't believe he's dead." Bonnie said. "After what we did to him."

"No, after what he did to you." Jeremy pointed out. "Look, I'm sorry, I know you feel bad about all of this but I don't."

"I couldn't do anything to help. I was useless. I hated it."

"Well, the spirits would probably hate us if you were dead, Bon." Maria pointed out. Stefan and Elena entered just then.

"Thank God"

"It's not over yet." Elena pointed out.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked.

"He'll explain." Elena said, heading upstairs.

"When did you guys get home?" Stefan asked.

"A few minutes ago." Bonnie told him.

"Did you check the house?"

"And why would we check the house?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm going to see if anything might have followed us." Maria said. She walked into the living room and looked around. She stifled a shriek as someone pulled her behind the staircase. She found Elena and Damon there.

"Hey, nice of you to join us." Damon told her.

"It didn't take me long to figure out what you were doing." Maria said. "I'm glad you're okay." Elena smiled. Then they all heard something hit the ground. "I'm gonna see if they need help."

She headed upstairs to see Katherine, Bonnie, and Stefan over Dr. Martin's body. Bonnie leaned down to check on him, when he suddenly grabbed her. Bonnie and Maria both screamed in surprise. Stefan snapped his neck, killing him. Maria was holding onto Bonnie. "Oh, my God. Are you okay?" Maria asked her.

She felt something different about Bonnie. She realized her powers were back, but decided not to say anything about it in front of Katherine. Even though she helped them, she still didn't trust her and headed downstairs.

"How did you guys convince her to do this?" Elena asked.

"We didn't. It was actually her idea." Damon explained.

"I'm surprised. Who knew she could be a big help?" Maria asked. Stefan and Katherine headed downstairs.

"Everything's taken care of." Stefan told them.

"I'm guessing you're going to want this back." Katherine handed Elena her necklace. "But your pretty little outfit is going to need a good dry clean."

"You're going to have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home." Elena told them.

"Is that all you have to say to me?"

"This doesn't change the way I feel about you." Elena told her.

"I don't much like you, either, if we're going to be open and frankly, I'd be happy to see you dead but if we're going to try to take on Klaus, we kinda need you to be alive." Katherine said. "So I'm not a threat to you, Elena. If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that." She walked away from the group.

"I don't trust her much either." Maria said once Katherine was well out of hearing range. "But I think she's telling the truth this time."

"Yeah, one truth for every pretty little lie she tells." Damon said.

"At least she's not A." Maria said, heading back upstairs. She noticed her with Jeremy. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No." Bonnie told her.

"I'm glad you're powers are back."

"So am I."

"Wait, how did you know?" Jeremy asked.

"I felt it after Dr. Martin died the second time." Maria told him. "Long story."

"And now we know how to kill Klaus." Bonnie said.

"That's good to know." Maria said. "I should head back home. I'll see you guys tomorrow." On her way back, she stopped by the Boarding House. She heard Katherine talking with Damon upstairs.

"You know what I can't figure out?" Damon asked her.

"What's that?"

"How the town knew Emily Bennett was a witch. I mean, because according to Johnathan Gilbert, he was the only one who knew. I know he didn't turn her in." Damon pointed out. There was a long silence. "I should have figured as much."

"Oh, she was a loose end. I like mine tied up." Katherine said. Maria was in shock. She couldn't believe that the girl who saved her life was the one who turned her "aunt" in.

"You know what I can't figure out?" She continued. "Why you won't tell me where to find the site of the witch massacre." This had Maria confused. Why was she looking for the place where all the witches died?

"Because I have no clue."

"You knew that Emily Bennett was the key to getting me out of that tomb and something tells me that you did everything in your power to make sure that she was safe, yet you have no idea where she was killed." Katherine said. "Who's the liar now? You hurt me today."

"Tit for tat."

"You were mean and very rough and monstrous."

"You deserved it."

"I like this, Damon."

"Katherine." Maria heard Damon say. "Katherine, there are six other bedrooms in this house. Go find one." It took everything in her to keep herself from laughing. She headed out the door. It was stupid of her to think she couldn't trust Damon. As she headed to Bonnie's, she wondered how they'd be able to stop Klaus for good. She only hoped it wouldn't be too risky.


	29. Saving the Last Dance

A few days after their run in with Katherine, Maria was at Caroline's house. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Matt doesn't remember anything." Caroline told her.

"I don't know, Care. I have this weird feeling he's hiding something."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't know if I want to find out." Maria said. "Anyway, I need to stop by the guys' before school. Wanna come?"

"Actually, Matt's picking me up." Caroline told her.

"We can be there and back in five minutes, remember?"

"Yeah, I just forgot for a second."

The two of them ran to the Boarding House. When they were about to enter, it was like they hit a wall. "Ow." Maria put a hand to her forehead. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. What happened?"

"Their plan. I almost forgot about it." Maria said. Bonnie was in the hallway and noticed them.

"What are you two doing out here?"

"Uh, we're kind of…" Maria began. Bonnie realized it.

"Uh, Elena?" She called. It wasn't long before she noticed them.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." Caroline said. "Not like we didn't just hit an invisible wall or something."

"Maria, Caroline, get in here." Maria stepped in, but Caroline was hesitant.

"It's fine, now, Caroline." Maria told her.

"I don't know." Maria grabbed her arm and pulled her in.

"See, I told you, we're clear now."

"I should head back. My mom would freak if she knew I snuck out." Caroline said. She walked out the door.

"What's Barbie's problem?" Maria jumped when she heard Damon's voice.

"You have got to stop doing that." She said, turning around.

"Sorry. I couldn't help it that time."

"Guys, we need to focus on how we're going to handle the Klaus situation." Stefan reminded them.

"Well, now that Bonnie's got the power of those witches, everything should be fine, right?" Maria asked. Nobody answered. "Spirits talk you know. By the way, guys, did no one think to call and tell me the signing was today?"

"It was kinda a last-minute thing." Damon told her. "Besides, I thought you knew."

"You try walking into an invisible wall." She told him. "It's not fun."

"Well, we're going to be late if this keeps up." Elena said, breaking the tension in the room.

"Wait, with Klaus out there being late to school is what you're worried about?" Damon asked.

"Relax, we'll all be there." Maria said. "Between a witch, a vampire, and a mix of the two, she's got nothing to worry about." They headed out the door.

The group sat down in history class. Maria looked at the others, wondering why Ric was late. A couple minutes later, he came in. "Hello, class. What are we learning today?"

Maria got nervous. With everything going on with the group preparing to take on Klaus, she had completely blanked on everything school-related, including her geometry homework.

"With the decade dance tonight, we've been covering the sixties all week." One of the students spoke up.

"Right. The sixties." He turned to the board and began writing. "The sixties. I wish there was something good I could say about the sixties, but... Actually, they kind of sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. Uh, what else was there? The Cuban missile thing, the... we walked on the moon. There was Watergate."

"Watergate was the seventies, Ric." Elena said. Everyone turned to look at her, including Maria. Did she forget that they were in class? "I-I mean, Mr. Saltzman."

"Right. It all kind of mushes together up here, the sixties, seventies. Thank you, Elena." Alaric told her. Maria looked at him. She instantly had a bad feeling about him, but didn't know why.

A few hours later, Maria and Elena were headed toward Bonnie and Jeremy's table. "So, why did you decide to come here in the first place?"

"I don't know. I feel like something led me here." Maria told her. "And I've always liked school. I know it's weird, but it just makes me feel normal. Like I'm not some kind of freak."

"You're not a freak." Elena pointed out. "You're one of the most amazing people I know." Maria looked to her. "Anyway, why did you befriend me that day?"

"When I first saw you, I had a feeling you might need an extra hand dealing with everything." Maria said. "I mean, related to the supernatural. Besides, you seemed like the type who didn't really spend much time with her friends."

"Well, I was going through a rough time." Elena told her. "Losing your parents will do that to you." Maria just nodded. She didn't want to point out she couldn't even remember her parents.

They sat down with Bonnie and Jeremy. "Hey, Jer. How you doing? Are you ok at the house alone with John?" Elena asked.

"It's not ideal." He told her, getting up. Maria knew that their household was going through a rough time because Jeremy and Stefan filled her in on it.

"You haven't heard from Jenna, have you?" Elena asked.

"It looks like she's staying on campus instead of coming home." Jeremy told them. "I'm late for class." He left in a hurry. Maria felt bad about the mess. She couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for what happened.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, snapping Maria out of her thoughts.

"I told him he had to dress up tonight and he got all uptight." Bonnie told them. Maria knew she was lying, but decided to keep it to herself. One of the girls from class sat with them.

"Hey, Elena, there you are." She said. "Ok. This  
>is going to sound freaky, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight."<p>

"Tell him she has a boyfriend." Bonnie said.

"You could at least meet him." The girl, Dana, told them. "He'll be at the dance tonight. Look for him. His name is Klaus." Maria froze.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Elena asked.

"His name's Klaus. I know the name's stupid, but I swear he's hot." The girls started looking around the room.

"Where is he? Is he here?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know." Maria looked at the girl.

"She's being compelled." She told them.

"But he wants to know if you'll save him the last dance. How cute is that?"

"Yeah, cute. If you like unwanted stalkers." Maria said. Bonnie and Elena looked at each other. "What?"

A few minutes later, the three of them were meeting with Stefan and Damon at the Boarding House. They had explained what had happened at school. "So we go to the dance, we find him." Damon said.

"Really? How are we going to do that?" Stefan asked. "We don't even know what he looks like."

"Something tells me he's not going to be 16 and pimply." Damon said.

"Would you stop making jokes?" Maria snapped. "This is serious!"

"He could be anywhere at any time. He compelled somebody at school." Stefan pointed out. "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?" There was a knock at the door. Alaric entered the house.

"There you are."

"Sorry I'm late." Maria frowned. It wasn't like Ric to be late. She knew something was wrong.

"Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move." Damon told him.

"Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?" Elena asked.

"Me. I'm the plan." Everyone turned to look at Bonnie. "He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

"Are you sure about that, Bonnie?" Maria asked. She knew exactly what risks she was taking to do this.

"That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around." Alaric pointed out.

"Alaric has a point." Damon said. "I mean, what if he..." He sped over to Bonnie, but she threw him to the other side of the room with her powers without even looking. The others looked at her in surprise.

"Well, I was impressed." Stefan said.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me." Bonnie said. "I can kill him, Elena. I know I can." She turned to Maria. "Trust me on this." Maria nodded.

That night, the group headed to the dance. Maria was wearing a red long-sleeved dress with a belt that had purple hearts on it. For accessories, she was wearing two fake pearl bracelets on her wrists and a purple chocker. They showed up outside the school to see Jeremy going inside, away from Bonnie.

They walked over to them. "Hey, guys." Elena said. "You look nice."

"You, too." She and Bonnie embraced.

"Did you two get into a fight or something?" Maria asked. Bonnie looked over at her. Maria understood and decided to keep quiet about it.

"You guys ready to do this?" Stefan asked.

"Let's just get it over with." Maria said. They all headed inside. The gym was already crowded, full of people dancing. Maria saw Dana go up on stage.

"Thanks for being here, everybody. We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Elena. From Klaus." She put on a song. The rest of the group was stunned.

"That was a lame, cheap shot." Damon said. "He's just trying to bait us."

"I know everyone here." Elena pointed out.

"Maybe he's not here." Stefan said. "Just wants us to believe that he is."

"You know what I think? He's probably just trying to freak us out." Maria said.

"Well, it certainly worked." Bonnie said.

"It's a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us." Damon said.

"Good idea." Bonnie grabbed Jeremy's arm.

"No, no, I really don't feel like dancing." Jeremy told her.

"Too bad." Maria watched apologetically as she dragged him to the dance floor.

"There's Ric. I'll be back." Damon told them. He walked over to him. Maria still didn't know if she should tell them or not about what she'd felt.

"Hey, you okay, Maria? You seem a bit distracted today." Elena said.

"I'm fine, Elena." Maria told her. "I've just been getting a weird feeling about things, but I don't know who to talk to."

"Maybe you should tell Damon. You two seem to be close lately." Stefan suggested.

"You're right." She walked over to him just as Ric left. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

"Sure." They danced while Maria spoke, in order to maintain their cover.

"I've been getting a bad feeling about Mr. Saltzman." Maria said.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked.

"I keep feeling this dark vibe coming from him, but I don't know why." She explained. "It's like there's something wrong and I can't tell what it is."

"Are you sure you're not just nervous because of Klaus?" Damon asked.

"No way. I'm not even afraid of that guy. He's putting all my friends…no, my family, in danger." Maria said. "Just be careful around Ric. I don't think he's himself." She saw Caroline and Matt come in. "Dance with Elena. I'll be right back."

Elena noticed them, too. "Caroline's here. They don't know what's going on. We have to tell her."

"I'm on it." Stefan told her. He looked and saw Maria and Damon.

"I'll keep Matt busy while you talk to Caroline." Maria told him. They headed over to them.

Caroline and Matt were awkwardly dancing together. "What?" Caroline asked.

"You look really pretty tonight." Matt told her. Stefan came over to them then.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, man, what's up?" Matt asked.

"Hey. Do you mind if I steal your date for a moment?" Stefan asked.

"No, not all. I'll get us something to drink." Matt left them alone, when Maria walked over to him.

"Matt, hey."

"Maria. Haven't seen you in a while. What's up?" Matt asked.

"Just the usual, trying to do well in school and hopefully figure out what to major in." Maria said.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked Stefan.

"Klaus is here." He told her.

"What?!"

"Yeah."

"Where?" Caroline asked.

"We have no idea. But keep your eye out for anything that might be weird, ok?" He told her.

"Caroline said that you've been acting kinda distant lately." Maria said as she danced with Matt.

"Well, she's been hiding something." Matt told her. "It's almost like she hasn't been herself." He spun Maria in. The instant she touched his arm, she knew why he'd been so weird with Caroline. She nearly fell from the shock. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Maria said. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you two, but you need to know this: whoever Caroline is, she is still the same person inside, no matter how she changes." She looked around and heard Jeremy trying to talk Bonnie out of their plan. "I have to go. The bottom of my dress ripped." She headed over to them at the same time Damon did.

"May I?" Damon asked. Jeremy tried to leave, but Maria stopped him.

"Can we talk?" She asked him. The two of them moved away from them.

"You know what she's planning to do, don't you?" Jeremy asked.

"Of course I do. We never keep secrets from each other." Maria told him.

"Then you know how dangerous this is."

"Relax, I promise that nothing will happen to Bonnie." Maria said.

"How can you promise that?"

"I'm a witch, too, remember?" Maria pointed out. "And we have a few back-up plans in case he tries to surprise us."

"Got it." Jeremy said. "But still, this whole thing seems really messed up." He headed outside. Maria went outside to find Elena and Bonnie arguing.

"Elena."

"How can you be okay with this?" Elena asked her.

"Calm down, I can use my powers to protect her." Maria said. "That way, nobody dies."

"I don't know, Maria." Bonnie said. "We haven't had the best luck with spells lately."

"Look, I don't want to see you die any more than the others." Maria said. "We're practically sisters."

"Elena." They looked up and saw Alaric.

"What is it?"

"He has Jeremy."

"What?" Elena asked.

"I can lead you to him. Come on." Maria went in with them, still sensing something wasn't right. But this time, the feeling was getting stronger. That's when it hit her. "Oh my God. I should've known." She fell to the ground.

"Maria, are you okay?" Elena asked. Bonnie went to her side.

"She's okay. She just fainted." Bonnie said. They continued walking down the hall until they realized something was up. "Where's Jeremy?"

"I just had to get out of there. Sixties, not my decade."

"Alaric, are you on vervain?" Elena asked. Neither of the girls saw Maria get up.

"Why would you ask that, Elena?"

"He's being compelled." Bonnie said.

"Good guess, but no."

"But you do know, don't you?" Maria said. She was right behind the other girls now. "Because you are NOT Alaric!"

"Wow. You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

"You pretended to faint." Bonnie whispered to her. Maria nodded. Then she knew the girls knew, too.

"Klaus." Elena said.

"Surprise." Bonnie stepped in front of Elena. They were both thrown back by something.

"That wasn't me." Maria told them.

"Relax, you're not on my hit list tonight." Klaus told them. He turned to Bonnie. "But you are." Bonnie threw him back.

"Not now. Run!" Maria told them. The three of them ran down the hallway. Bonnie closed the doors behind them with her powers. Maria kept running until she bumped into someone. The person grabbed her arm. "Let go of me!"

"It's me." She looked and saw that she'd bumped into Damon. "What happened?"

"Klaus is in Alaric's body." Elena told him.

"What?"

"He's possessing it or something." Bonnie explained.

"It's why I've been having such a bad feeling about him all day." Maria added.

Damon turned to Elena. "Go find Stefan. Now." Elena took off down the hallway. Maria started to go with her. "Hang on, we might need a hand." He turned to Bonnie. "Can you kill him?"

"He's got some kind of protection spell."

"You have the power of a hundred witches. Break it."

"We've tried that." Maria said.

"If I kill Alaric, he'll just possess someone else. He knows I have my power, Damon. He's trying to kill me." Bonnie explained.

"We're not going to lose you, Bon." Maria said. "I won't let that happen."

"Klaus does not get to win tonight, no way." Damon told them. "You still willing to do whatever it takes to kill him?" Maria looked at him and realized she knew what the plan was.

"That's risky, Damon." She said. She looked at Bonnie. "Can I see your necklace for a second?" She held it briefly. Then she let go and ran to find Stefan and Elena.

"Guys, sorry I took so long."

"Later, we have to find Bonnie. Have you seen her?" Elena asked. Maria clenched her fists. She hated lying, but it had to be done.

"No, sorry. Last I saw, Damon was with her. He told me to find you guys."

"Can't you track her down?" Stefan pointed out.

"Klaus has a witch helping him. He'd probably block me." Maria said. "Even if I could find a way around it, there's no chance I'd make it, even if I am half-vampire."

"Let's just try to find Damon." Elena said. They took off running down the hall again. Damon found them.

"There you are." Bonnie wasn't with him.

"What are you doing? Where's Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"She's doing what she has to do." Damon told her.

"What?"

"Where is she?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan, let her do this."

"Damn it, Damon, where is she?"

"Oh my God!" The argument was broken off as Maria spoke. "I feel it. She's trying to fight Klaus." Elena and Stefan took off.

"Can you really tune into that?"

"Yes." Maria told him. "I still can't believe you agreed to let her risk her life." She ran down the hallway to look for Elena and Stefan.

By the time she caught up to them, they were outside a locked door. She showed up just as Bonnie fell to the ground. For a moment, she was scared. Her friend really looked like she was dead.

They got into the room then. Stefan and Maria looked around. Klaus was gone. "Man, I hate those illusion spells." Maria said.

"Stefan, she's not breathing!" They turned to find Elena holding Bonnie in her arms. Stefan went to her side while Maria looked at Bonnie. "Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse!" Just give her blood, do something, please!" Maria touched Bonnie's wrist. She was right about having no pulse, to her shock.

"It's too late. I'm sorry." Stefan told her. Maria felt really bad about not telling them. She hated seeing Elena like this. Just then Damon showed up.

"Stefan, get Elena out of here. I'll deal with this." He told him.

"What do you mean, deal with this?" Elena asked.

"The sheriff can't know about this. Last thing we need's another mysterious death." He pointed out.

"This is Bonnie!"

"Elena." Maria said. Everyone looked at her. "It's okay. I will make sure that nothing happens to her. Now go." Stefan helped Elena get to her feet.

"Wait, what about Jeremy?"

"I'll find him." Damon told her. They left the room, leaving the two of them. Maria went to Bonnie to see if she was still wearing the necklace. She found it on her. She felt a rush of power as she took her hand and felt part of it leave her.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"It was the only way." Maria said. "Get her out of here safely and carefully. When she wakes up, I don't want her to be uncomfortable." He nodded and helped get her out of the school.

Maria got back to the Boarding House early. Elena was sitting in the living room. "She's still in shock." Stefan told her. She jumped. She hadn't expected to run into him in the hallway. "Are you okay?"

"I've been better." Maria told him. She went into the living room and sat on a chair next to Elena. "Hey." It was killing her to see Elena so upset. "She's okay, Elena."

"How are you doing with all this?" She asked.

"It's hard." Maria said. Luckily, Stefan walked in then. He handed Elena a glass.

"Here, drink this."

"I can't." She said.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can." Reluctantly, she took the glass.

"This is my fault." She cried. Maria and Stefan looked at each other, then turned back to Elena.

"No, no, no, no, no. No. Hey. This was Klaus. Listen to me. Klaus did this."

"He's right, you know. It's his fault Bonnie's like this now." Maria said. Just then, Damon walked in.

"What did you do with her?" Maria stepped back. She was a little scared of Elena right now.

"Will you please calm her down?"

"We tried." Maria told him.

"Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you."

"Please calm down."

"You knew! Didn't you? You knew that if she harnessed all that power, that she would die, didn't you?" Elena asked him.

"Yes, I knew." Damon told her. She slapped him. Maria just looked surprised.

"You need to listen to me, and prepare for what I'm about to say. Bonnie had to die. Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. She wasn't prepared for that. And he wasn't going to stop, and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead." Damon explained. "He had to believe it."

"Wait, what?" Elena asked. Just then, Maria felt a shock pass through her. She looked at him and nodded.

"They cast a spell. She's alive, Elena. Bonnie's okay."

"They?" Stefan turned to Maria. "You were in on this?"

"Do you really think I'd leave a member of my family in danger?" Maria pointed out. "I came up with a couple of back-up plans to make sure she'd be okay. Faking her death was all Damon's idea, though. I just helped put the protection spell on her."

"And did it work?"

"I think it did." Maria told Elena, smiling. "Sorry I lied, but we had to think on our feet." She was surprised when she felt Elena's arms around her.

"Thank you.

"Hey, there's no way I'd let anything happen to either one of you." Maria said.

She headed upstairs to call Bonnie, like they'd arranged. "Hey, how are you?"

"I feel fine. Thanks to you."

"Hey, it was your spell. I just helped." Maria pointed out.

"Still, I'm not sure…"

"Relax, I have an idea on how we can destroy Klaus." Maria said. "And no, you won't be sacrificing you're life then either."

"Can you tell me about it tomorrow? I have to let Elena know I'm okay." Bonnie pointed out.

"No problem."

Maria went to Damon's room to see how he was doing. "Hey, looks like it really worked." Maria told him.

"Yeah, I'm glad she's okay." He told her.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"You know, you did kinda come across as a jerk." Maria told him. "Back when we were explaining everything."

"At least you're not the one who got slapped."

"No, but I'll bet Stef's going to be angry with me." Maria said. She walked over to him. "But we did what had to be done." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah, we did."

"I'm going to head to my room." Maria told him. She turned to leave and saw Elena. Damon noticed, too.

"Look. Klaus had to think she was dead. Your reaction had to be real." He told her.

"I understand why you did what you did. Klaus was fooled, and Bonnie's alive." Elena said.

"Here's to duplicity."

"But let's get one thing straight, Damon. Bonnie will not die for me, I will not let that happen." Elena told him.

"We need to kill Klaus, Elena. Real Klaus. Who will probably be coming to pay you a visit soon now that he knows that Bonnie is dead. She's the only one who can do it."

"We'll find another way." Elena said.

"I hope so."

"Same here." Maria said. "Look, I promise nothing will happen to Bonnie, ever."

"Thanks." Elena said. She turned to Damon. "I shouldn't have hit you".

"Apology accepted. Let me be clear about something. If it comes down to you and the witch again, I will always choose you." Damon told her.

"Good night, Damon." Elena said.

"Good night." Elena left the room.

"You know Bonnie might not make it if…" Damon started.

"Bonnie's not the only witch around here, remember?" Maria said. "Should anything even start to go wrong, I will make sure to stop it." They looked at each other for a moment. Then, Maria headed out of the room and up to hers.

Dear Diary,

We managed to stop one of Klaus' plans, at least. Now we just need to find a way to end him so that no one else gets hurt in the process. I know my idea is a little risky, but it might be the only chance we have.

**A/N: And that's it for this chapter. Maria's role in Damon's plan might cause a small problem, though. But he's not the only one coming up with ideas, it seems. What do you think Maria's planning to do to stop Klaus? Review and let me know what you think.**


	30. The Fallout

The following morning, Maria got up early. When she left her room, she ran right into Stefan. "We really need to set up some kind of warning system so we don't keep bumping into each other like this." She said.

"I know. You haven't seen Elena this morning, have you?"

"No. I just got up." Maria said. "I thought she was with you or in a guest room."

"No, I haven't seen her since last night." Stefan told her. They both headed into the living room.

"Oh, no. She didn't!" Maria heard Damon say. They both ran downstairs. All Maria saw was an empty room.

"What's going on?" Maria asked. Then it hit her. Wasn't this the same room that they had a daggered Elijah trapped in? "Oh, great."

"Nobody start panicking." Stefan said. "At least we know wherever she is, he's with her."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Maria asked.

"I'll call her. You two just hang in there."

"I don't believe this." Damon said as Stefan headed upstairs. "Has Elena lost it?"

"No. She's trying to keep her friend safe." Maria said, remembering what Elena told them last night. She headed downstairs where Stefan was on the phone with Elena. She used her hearing to listen in on them.

"Where's Elijah?" Stefan asked.

"He's right here." Elena's voice on the other end said.

"Where? I'm on my way."

"No, Stefan, Elijah and I need some time alone." Maria turned and saw that Damon had joined her.

"Listen to me. He can't be trusted. He'll use you to get to Klaus." Stefan said.

"Elijah is a noble man, Stefan. He lives by a code of honor. I can trust him." Elena told him." He knows that I'd be incredibly stupid to betray him again. By removing the dagger, I have proven myself."

"You can't do this alone." Stefan pointed out.

"It's my decision, Stefan. Please respect it. And make sure that Damon doesn't do anything stupid. I'll be in touch." The line went dead. Maria didn't know what to say.

"Did she just hang up on you?" Damon asked.

"She did."

"She's lost it."

"I don't think so, Damon." Maria said.

"If anyone can get him to help us kill Klaus, it's her." Stefan pointed out.

"Bonnie's the way to kill Klaus, Stefan. He thinks she's dead. We have a chance with her." Damon told him.

"She'll kill herself in the process. Elena's looking for another way." Stefan shot back.

"Her way's going to get her killed. So we need to find her and stop her."

"No, you need to back off." Stefan told him.

"What?!"

"Look, I don't like this any more than you do. But we need to trust her. We gotta just let her do her thing."

"Besides, I meant what I said last night, too." Maria said. "I'm not going to put Bonnie in danger. And Elena's right about him. I don't trust him personally, but I do trust Elena." She stepped into the living room and got an idea. "Can one of you watch me?"

"Are you thinking of…"

"Hey, if there's one way to see if I can trust him, it's this way." Maria told them. She closed her eyes and fell onto the couch. They both moved to her side at the same time.

"Is she okay?" Damon asked.

"It looks like she's still alive." Stefan told him. "Though it feels like she's not here."

Maria found herself in another living room. When she glanced around, she realized she was at the Lockwood's place. "So I assume that the Martin witches are no longer with us." She jumped and found them sitting across from each other. Careful not to make any noise, she sat down next to Elena.

"No. I'm sorry."

"And Katerina? She would have been released from my compulsion when I died."

"Klaus took her. We think that she may be dead." Elena told him.

"I doubt that. Not Klaus' style. Death would be too easy for her after what she did." Elijah said.

"I don't understand. You say that you want Klaus dead, but you still made Katherine pay for betraying him." Elena said.

"I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay." Maria rolled her eyes. Was there anyone who didn't want Katherine dead? "There was a time... I'd have done anything for Klaus."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"Klaus is my brother." Elijah told her. Maria put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from gasping in shock.

"I heard that. I'm still processing." Elena said.

"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times, but I believe the term you're searching for is "O.M.G.""

"So how did…" Suddenly, Maria woke up in the Boarding House.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Why don't you tell us?" Damon said. "Were you projecting yourself again?"

"You could say that." Maria said. She noticed Stefan was on the phone. She listened in.

"Where's Elena? And Jeremy? No one's answering their phones." She was surprised to hear Jenna's voice.

"Ah, Elena's not here at the moment. Is, uh, is everything ok?" Stefan asked her.

"She left me all these weird messages telling me to stay away from Rick. What's going on?"

"It's really hard to explain over the phone, but, um, she was hoping that you could stay on campus for a little while longer." Stefan told her.

"Oh, that's kinda hard to do from my kitchen."

"Wait, you're home?"

"Yeah. What's going on? Where's Elena? I'm supposed to meet Rick at the grill for lunch, to talk."

"Jenna, listen to me carefully. Whatever you do, do not meet Alaric at the grill. I'm going to come over right now and I'll explain everything." He said, hanging up.

"She came home in the middle of this mess?" Maria said.

"Wow, I'd love to lend you a hand, but you wouldn't want me doing anything stupid." Damon pointed out.

"It's seriously going to be like this?"

"Don't be such a jerk." Maria told him. "If you're not going to help..."

"I wouldn't get on my bad side if I were you." Damon said.

"I'm not on anyone's side here." Maria said. "I'm just trying to help my friends who seriously have no Freaking idea what they're doing!"

"Really, last I checked…" Suddenly, he fell to the ground in pain.

"I said don't start with me." Maria said.

"How is Elena doing, by the way?" Stefan asked.

"She's fine. Last I checked, they were just talking." Maria told him. "I think we can trust him, Stef."

"I have to warn Jenna what's going on."

"I'll keep an eye on Elena." Maria said. "See you later." She headed upstairs to her room so she could do the spell alone. She knew it was risky with no one else around, but she didn't have much choice.

About half an hour later she went back downstairs to get her phone. She knew Elena was still okay and was trying to figure out a new plan. She noticed a message from Stefan and looked at it:

Klaus is still possessing Alaric. He's at Jenna's.

Maria looked stared at the phone in shock. She knew they couldn't save Jenna without exposing themselves. She texted him back:

Do whatever it takes to keep her safe and get her out of there. Then she called Damon to let him know what was happening.

"Hey, I think Jenna's in trouble." Maria told him. "Stef's dealing with it, but I don't think we can hide this from her anymore."

"I know. That's why she and Rick were fighting before…look, just wait at the Boarding House. I'm sure they'll show up there."

It didn't surprise her when almost an hour later, she showed up at the Boarding House. Maria was upstairs when she heard the door open. "Oh my God. Oh, my God."

"It's okay. You're okay." She heard Stefan say. She headed downstairs.

"I can't believe…I…"

"Jenna." The two looked up and saw Maria. "I've got this, Stef. Follow me." She led Jenna into the living room. They sat down on the couch. "You should be safe here."

"How long have you known about this?" Jenna asked.

"A while." Maria said. "But I'm not the person you should talk to about this."

"And you?" Jenna asked as she got up to leave. "Are you...one of them?"

"Sort of." Maria told her. "But I would never hurt someone I'm friends with." She walked into the hallway. "Did you call her?"

"I left her a few messages telling her what happened." Stefan said. "I didn't want her to find out this way."

"None of us did, Stefan." Maria said. "Sometimes, things like this happen. I remember when I found out the first time. It'll get easier."

"So what did you find out about…" He cut off as he received a message from Elena:

On my way

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Maria asked.

"For now, let's just make sure she stays okay." Stefan told her. "This is between her and Elena now." Maria nodded.

A few minutes later, Elena came inside. "How is she?"

"She's in shock." Maria told her. "She's sitting in the living room."

Elena went into the room and found Jenna. "Oh, Jenna, thank God."

"This can't be happening…."

"I never meant for any of this to happen." Elena told her.

"When I was little, your mom used to tell me bedtime stories. Stories about vampires. I never thought that what she said could be true." Jenna told her niece.

"It is true, Jenna. I should have told you. I thought that if you didn't know, you'd be safe." Elena explained. "But then things got so out of control and everything I had done to keep you out of it, it just blew up in my face."

"Who else knows?" Jenna asked. "Jeremy?" Elena nodded. "John?"

"We were just trying to protect you." Elena told her.

"Protect me?"

"I'm so sorry. I will tell you everything." Elena said.

"No, Elena... I am the one who's supposed to be protecting you and Jeremy." Jenna told her.

"I know, but there's nothing that you could have done. There's so much more to it…" Elena explained.

"no, this is- this is so… I don't know how… it's…"

"I know, hey."

"Why didn't you tell me?! I'm scared." Elena sat down next to her aunt and comforted her.

"I know. I know. I know, hey. Hey. I'm sorry. Jenna, I am so, so sorry." Elena told her. They stayed there like that for a few minutes, holding each other. "Can you give me a minute?"

A few minutes later, she returned to the room with Maria. "I really don't think I should get involved in this." Maria told her.

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise, but Jenna's really shaken up." Elena said.

"I tried to calm her down when she got here, but it didn't work."

"Can't you use your empathy thing to calm her down?" Elena asked her.

"I don't know if it'll work if she doesn't trust me." Maria said. "You're going to have to help, too."

"Okay." Elena said.

"What's going on?" Jenna asked.

"It's okay." Elena told her, sitting next to her. "She's just going to sit with us." Maria sat down on the chair next to Jenna. "Can you do it without looking?" Elena whispered so quietly only she could hear.

"Only if I'm close to her. I think I'm close enough that it'll work, though." She concentrated while Elena began explaining things to Jenna.

About an hour later, Elena left the room. Maria was still with Jenna. "Is she gonna be ok?" Stefan asked.

"I tried to tell her as much as I could, but I barely scratched the surface." Elena told him.

"Well, she gets why you tried to hide it from her." Maria said, coming into the hallway with them.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, she's just trying to figure out some things, but she isn't mad at you or anything."

"I'm so sorry, Elena. I hate this." Stefan told her.

"It's not your fault, Stefan. It's mine." She said. "Anyway... I have to go back to Elijah."

"Wait, what?"

"Stefan, I promised him that I would return. I can't break that promise." Elena told him. He nodded, understanding. "I'll be okay."

"I know you'll come back okay, Lena." Maria said. Elena headed for the door, where she ran into Damon.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to Elijah."

"No."

"Get out of my way, Dam..." She tried to move around him, but he caught her arm.

"if you so much as try and take a step out of this house..." He began.

"Damon, easy." Andie told him.

"Stay out of this, Andie."

"Let her go." Stefan said.

"Are you kidding me? We just got her back." Suddenly, Damon fell to the ground in pain. Stefan turned to Maria.

"Was that necessary?"

"Probably not, but I'm angry." Maria told him. She turned to Damon, who was still on the floor. "Look, she's going to be okay. From what I got from her conversation with him, I know we can trust him."

"You can trust him if you want, that doesn't mean I will."

"Whatever. I'm going to see if Jenna needs anything." Maria headed upstairs. She found Jenna sitting in one of the rooms. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm still surprised she kept this from me so long." Jenna said. "You're one of the good ones, right?"

"Yeah." Maria said. "I've been working with the others to keep her safe."

"She said you helped support her after John came back to town." Jenna said.

"Hey, I would've done it for anyone if they had a jerk of a parent like him." Maria told her. She realized what she'd said as Jenna looked at her in shock. "Yeah, we found out about it before she told you." She left out the part where he almost got them killed. She'd been through enough in one day.

"At least she's got good friends that support her." Jenna said. "Though, I am a little worried about Damon."

"Aren't we all?" Maria said, sitting next to her. They spent the next few hours talking. Then she heard something downstairs.

By the time she got to the living room, Elena and Elijah were there, too. The guys were fighting again. "Stop!" Elena yelled.

"God, I leave you guys for a few minutes and this is what happens?" Maria said. "I'm sorry, I just…I can't deal with this anymore. I'm done. Good night." She turned and headed upstairs. On the way up, though, she listened in on the plan.

"The sacrifice is going to happen, Damon. Bonnie will be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save my life. I told you I'd find another way. And I did." She headed to her room. She knew that no matter what happened next, Elena would be fine. Only she didn't want to be around to see what happened next.

A few minutes later, Jenna found Damon in the hall. "Hey. I may not know what's going on here, but I know something's up with Maria." She said.

"So what?"

"She seemed really upset, Damon." Jenna said. "I know you don't exactly care about others, but this looked serious. When I tried to talk to her, she said she was done here. That she didn't want any part of this anymore."

He didn't know how, but he knew. She didn't have to finish that statement. He raced to her room to find Maria holding a stake toward herself. It looked like she was hesitating or having second thoughts. He quickly knocked it out of her hand. It took her several minutes to even realize he was in the room. "Whoa, she said you were depressed, I didn't think she meant like this."

Maria didn't even look at him. "Why did you stop me?"

"Cause we can't do this without you."

"Yes, you can." Maria said. "I can't deal with this anymore. I've had it with us always fighting each other. Even now when lives are at risk, this is how we're supposed to get through this?"

"Tell me, how is this going to solve anything?" He asked. He was pretty angry now, too. She knew he had a point, but she was too tired of everything that's happened the last few days to even say it. "Look, we need you here. If this plan blows up, how many more people do you think will die?"

"Like it would matter. The plan won't fail. That much I know." Maria stood up. "But my powers won't work like this."

"What do you…" Damon cut off as she closed her eyes and tried to do something. When she opened them, nothing happened.

"That spell was supposed to summon fire to my hand." She explained. "When I said my powers were connected to my emotions, I wasn't kidding. Well, my witch powers, anyway."

"How do you get around it?"

"I don't. All I can do is wait until I'm feeling better, though there's a chance I might not have them back by tomorrow." Maria said. "Forget it. I need time to think. You know where I'll be if you need me." She left the room. He stared after her, not sure what to do.

Maria was sitting on the roof, trying to keep it together. She had no idea what got into her this time, but she knew if she didn't pull herself together, there was no chance they'd be able to save Elena. She looked out at the stars, wondering if she'd be able to even go through with the plan and come out of it unharmed. All she knew was she had to get her powers to work for it to happen, but if she didn't, she very well may have doomed them all.


	31. The Last Day

Damon was still asleep early the next day when the others were already meeting downstairs. He was having another dream about the past. He was at the first founder's ball alone. Then he heard a voice. "Excuse me, sir?" He turned. There was a girl wearing an orange dress and her brown hair fell almost beneath her shoulders. She was wearing a mask over her eyes.

"Why would you hide your beauty behind that?"

"I'm not supposed to be here, but I couldn't help it." She told him. "I don't want others to discover my identity."

"I can respect that." Damon said. "So, what brings you over here?"

"I saw you standing here by yourself. You seem lonely."

"Well, life hasn't been easy lately."

"It must be hard." The girl said. "I know who you are."

"You do?"

"I'm a bit of an outsider in this town myself." She told him. "It's not easy living up to everyone's expectations all the time."

"No, it's not." He agreed. "Would you like to dance?"

"It would be an honor." They danced with each other.

"You're good at this."

"It takes practice sometimes." The girl said. Then there was a voice.

"Excuse me." The girl turned. Another girl had shown up. "I hate to interrupt, but we can't stay here."

"Oh, that's right." She turned back to Damon. "I'm afraid I must be going." She turned to go.

"Wait." He grabbed her arm. She turned back. "When will I see you again?"

"When the time's right, you'll know who I am." She told him. "I know we'll meet again." With that, she hurried off, leaving.

Damon woke up with a start. He had no idea why he kept having this dream. For some reason, it felt like a memory or something. Then he heard the group downstairs talking.

"Tonight is the full moon. We should assume that Klaus is prepared to break the curse." Elijah told them.

"Elena said that the Sun and the Moon curse is fake? That it's actually just a curse placed on Klaus." Stefan said.

"That sounds about right." Maria said.

"Klaus is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline." Elijah explained. "The curse has kept his werewolf aspect from manifesting. But if he breaks it... He'll be a true hybrid."

"Then why are we letting him break the curse?" Damon asked. Maria hadn't heard him enter the room. "We can kill him today. With Bonnie."

"No. Bonnie can't use that much power without dying." Elena pointed out.

"We've been over this, Damon." Maria said. "Bonnie is NOT dying for us."

"All right, how do we break this curse?" Stefan asked.

"Well, the ritual itself is relatively straightforward. The ingredients, so to speak, you already know."

"The moonstone"

"A witch will channel the power of the full moon to release the spell that's bound within the stone. After that, Klaus, being both werewolf and vampire, will sacrifice one of each."

"And where do I fit into it?" Elena asked.

"The final part of the ritual." Elijah told her. He took a box from the shelf. "Klaus must drink the blood of the doppelganger... To the point of your death." Maria put a hand on Elena's shoulder.

"And that's where you come in." Elena guessed as Elijah took a bottle from the box.

"This is an elixir that I acquired some 500 years ago for Katerina. It possesses mystical properties of resuscitation." Elijah explained.

"So I'll be dead?" Elena asked.

"And then you won't."

"That's your plan? A magical witch potion with no expiration date?" Damon asked.

"Damon…" Maria warned.

"You want to come back to life, what about John's ring?"

"Those rings only work on humans. The doppelgänger's a supernatural occurrence. Odds are, the ring won't work." Elijah said.

"I'll take those odds over your elixir. What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

"Then I guess I'll just be dead." Elena said.

"Don't even say that." Maria told her.

"Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs to do this? Does he have a werewolf?"

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years. If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is by tonight, he will."

Outside, Maria found Damon. "Hey."

"This is still a very stupid idea." Damon told her.

"I know what it looks like, but I know we can stop him."

"And the chance of Elena dying?"

"It's possible I could try a spell to save her, but I don't know if I'll be strong enough if I have to use my back-up plan." She admitted.

"I still think it's too risky."

"Look, it's fine." Maria told him. "We'll all get out of this alive." She went back inside. Elena was talking with Elijah.

"You'd think he'd understand why I'm willing to do this." Elena said.

"Why are you?" Elijah asked her.

"I'm the key to breaking the curse. Klaus is here because of me. If I don't stop him, then he's going to hurt people. It's that simple." Elena pointed out.

"And I think we've had enough murders in this town to last half a century." Maria added.

"You know, there's a possibility this elixir won't work. I don't want to mislead you." Elijah told her.

"I know the chance I'm taking." Elena said. Maria took her hand.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll do all I can to save you."

"Thanks." Just then, they all heard something upstairs. They all ran upstairs instantly. Jenna was pointing a crossbow at Alaric.

"Jenna, put the cross-bow down, ok? It's me." Alaric told her.

"Stay away from me." Stefan and Damon showed up then.

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"It's me, Elena, I swear, ok? He let me go. Klaus let me go." Alaric told them. Maria didn't feel any darkness from him, but she wasn't entirely sure he was still himself.

"What do you think?" Damon whispered to her.

"I can't tell." Maria said.

"Prove it." Damon told Alaric.

"Okay, the first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right when I was about to..."

"Okay, it's him." Jenna said, putting the crossbow down.

"Why did he let you go?" Stefan asked.

"He wanted me to deliver a message." Alaric told them. "The sacrifice happens tonight."

The group was sitting in the living room. "So you don't remember anything that happened?" Stefan asked him.

"No. It's like I blacked out and woke up 3 days later. Katherine was there."

"She's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can."

"Or if he dies and his compulsion wears off." Maria pointed out.

"Where is Damon?" Elena asked.

"I saw him go upstairs." Jenna told her. Elena got up and headed upstairs.

"So what else did I do?" Alaric asked.

"Well, while you were possessed, you sabotaged a school dance, almost killed Bonnie, and nearly attacked Jenna." Maria told him.

"And I found out why you were trying to keep me out of this." Jenna added. Alaric looked at her, still feeling bad for keeping secrets from her.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault." Maria said. "Katherine betrayed all of us." Suddenly, she heard Elena's muffled screaming. She and Stefan looked at each other. He ran upstairs first. "Can you give us a minute?" She rushed out of the room and upstairs to Damon's room.

"What did you do?" Stefan asked. Maria went to Elena's side.

"You okay?" She asked. Elena didn't answer. She was too shocked to answer.

"I saved her life." Damon told him. "You're so bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back."

"As a vampire!" Stefan pointed out. "She'll come back a vampire."

"How stupid are you?" Maria asked.

"Hey, it's better than nothing else."

"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?" Stefan asked him.

"Go ahead, wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me, you'll get over it." Damon told Elena. Maria helped Elena get up. Suddenly, Stefan rushed over to him.

"Stefan!" A few seconds later the guys were fighting. Suddenly, they were thrown to opposite sides of the room.

"Enough!" The group looked at Maria. "We're supposed to be fighting Klaus, not each other. It's true that what he did was wrong, but save the anger for when we fight the bad guy. I've had it with you two fighting each other on a constant basis."

"You're powers…" Damon noticed.

"Anyone ever tell you not to get on a witch's bad side?" Maria said. "You guys made me so angry that I barely even knew that'd work until it happened." They both got up

"What is going on in here?" Alaric asked. He and Jenna came in.

"Please, get him out of here." Elena said. Damon left the room.

"What happened?" Jenna asked.

"It'll be okay." Maria told her. "We're just going to be a few minutes, okay?" The two of them left the room.

"I don't believe this." Elena said. Stefan looked at her. "How could he do that to me? Why?"

"He wasn't thinking, as usual, but that's just how he is." Maria said. "I'm sorry this happened, though."

"Don't apologize. It isn't your fault, Maria." Elena told her.

"Hey. We've never talked about this. What this all means." Stefan said. Maria looked at him.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters." Elena looked away. Stefan grabbed her. "Hey. It matters. I want you to go somewhere with me."

"Stefan, I can't."

"No, no, it's not far, ok? It's just for the day. I promise." Elena looked at him. She still seemed unsure.

"Go with him, Elena." Maria told her. They looked at her. "If it's one thing I know about Stefan, it's that he'll always help you try to work through a problem, no matter how hard it is." Elena smiled at her. "We'll try to find a way to fix this mess in the meantime."

"Thanks for everything, Maria." Elena told her.

"No problem."

Damon headed to the library. "Well, it sounds like you won't be needing this anymore." Elijah put the box away. "Feeding her vampire blood rendered it useless. Tell Elena I'll be back before nightfall. We'll proceed as planned."

"We both know that elixir wouldn't have worked anyway." Damon said.

"The problem, Damon, you talk a good game but you don't actually know anything." Elijah told him. "She'll never forgive you. And never for a vampire... It's a very long time." He left the room. Damon poured himself a drink, when he felt someone else was in the room.

"I know you're there." He said. Maria stepped in. "You heard that, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did." Maria admitted. They headed out back. "I always liked it out here. It's private, so I'm able to think clearly."

"You know, if you're going to yell at me, just get it over with."

"I know why you did it." Maria told him.

"What?"

"Look, if I were in the same position, I would've done the same." Maria said. "I'll admit it wasn't the best idea here, but you were just trying to protect her. That's what we're all trying to do."

"Honestly, I'm a little surprised you don't hate me because of this." Damon told her.

"I can try to find a way to fix it." Maria told him. "There might be a way to still keep her human and alive after the ritual."

"How can you be so okay with this?" She said something so softly he couldn't hear. "What was that?"

"I can't hate you, Damon." Maria said. "I never could." She looked away for a moment. "I mean, I understand you didn't mean to hurt her and you thought you were doing what was right. Maybe I should just go now, try to see if there's anything I can…" She had turned to go, but was cut off because Damon's lips were on hers.

She swore she would've fainted if he hadn't been holding her up. After a few seconds, he pulled away. She could tell she was blushing. "Whoa. What was that for?" She asked.

"For some reason, you always seem to understand." He said. "You're pretty much the only one here who doesn't hate me right now. Even though you're a mix of two species, you don't let anything get you down, at least not for long. And between you and me, I think I'm falling for you."

Maria looked at him. She knew it really wasn't the right time for this. "I'll meet with you later." She told him. "Go on and meet with Ric." He headed inside.

Outside, Elena was walking with Stefan. They had made it to the waterfall. "I really don't know how I'm feeling."

"I think you do know how you feel. I just want you to know that it's okay to tell me." Stefan told her.

"Look, I know she said I could trust you, but right now, I just can't talk about it." Elena said.

"Well, if you don't want to, that's your choice. Today's about you. But, it's a long way to the top. Let's go. You never know what might come up."

"We're climbing all the way up to the top?" Elena asked.

"Oh, yeah."

"Well, can't you do one of your super power vampire jumpy things?" Elena asked him.

"No, it's your last day as a human. Why cheat now?" Stefan pointed out. She followed him.

Maria was up in her room. She was on the phone with Bonnie. "Yeah, I'll be over when I can." She told her. "Meanwhile, you guys search through those spell books. I know there's a way to prevent this mess." Just then, her phone beeped. "I gotta go. I'll meet you later." She looked at the message.

Vamp. Barbie and the Lockwood kid are being held in the tomb. Klaus plans to use them in the sacrifice.

-D

Maria quickly texted him back:

Try to get them out of there. I'll meet you as soon as I can.

Back at the waterfall, Elena and Stefan finally made it to the top. "We made it."

"That's nothing, if you've climbed Mount Everest." Stefan told her.

"Nobody likes a bragger, Stefan." Elena pointed out. She looked out at the landscape. "Oh, wow."

"Yeah. Hey, you can say it."

"Say what?"

"The thing you've been wanting to say, but... Been afraid of how it'll make me feel." Stefan told her.

"There's nothing I can say, Stefan. It's not going to change anything." Elena said.

"Might make you feel better." He pointed out. "Look, I know this isn't the first time you've thought about it. Drinking vampire blood to survive. I mean, I know I've thought about it a hundred times."

"And before all this with Klaus, did you think about it then?" Elena asked him.

"Of course I did. Elena... If it were my choice, I'd want to be with you forever." He told her.

"Why have you never brought it up?"

"'Cause I knew if it was an option, you would have. It would be selfish for me to ask you."

"Didn't stop Damon." Elena looked back out at the landscape.

"He shouldn't have done what he did." Stefan said. "He did it because he loves you."

"What?" Elena asked. "I doubt that was the motivation. He did this to me, Stefan, which means he doesn't really know what love is. And to be honest, I don't know if I do. I'm seventeen years old. How am I supposed to know any of this yet?" She took his hands. "I know that I love you, Stefan. I know that."

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked as she let go of him.

"It's Maria." Elena told him. "I think she's in love with him."

"And you're worried he might hurt her somehow." Stefan said. "I know, Elena. I feel the same way sometimes. She's like a sister to me. But from what I've seen, I think they'll be okay."

"Yeah, you could be right." Elena said. "I just wish he hadn't…I was supposed to deal with things in life as they came along. And now that's all gone."

"It's okay. You can say it."

"I don't want to be a vampire, Stefan. I never wanted to be one." Elena told him. By now she was crying.

"I know." He embraced his girlfriend.

By the time they got back to the Boarding House, it was dark out. "Thanks for today." Elena told him. "Tell her to be ready soon." Stefan nodded. Suddenly, he moved in front of Elena, having the feeling they weren't alone. They both looked and found Klaus waiting for them.

"You got me all nervous. I thought maybe you'd done something stupid." He told them. "You ready, my dear?"

"I'm ready." Elena said, but Stefan held her back.

"No."

"I wouldn't. No reason for you to die, too." Klaus told him. Elena faced Stefan.

"Stefan, hey, hey, it's fine, it's fine. I'll go. No one needs to get hurt." She told him, finally getting his attention. "There's no reason for you to get hurt." She pulled him close for a kiss. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you." Stefan told her, kissing her again. She pulled away after a few seconds.

"Close your eyes." Elena told him. He looked at her. "Close your eyes." She repeated. He reluctantly did what she said. He felt her hand leave hers. By the time he opened his eyes again, she was gone.

In the woods, Damon was with Caroline, Tyler, and Matt. He had freed them from the tomb and they were on their way out, when Tyler was in pain.

"What's happening? Is he ok?" Matt asked.

"He better not wolf out on us." Damon said. His phone rang then. "Bad time, little bro."

"What the hell are you doing?" Stefan asked him.

"Saving the day. I figured you'd understand. Just tell Elena to stay put."

"She's already gone, Damon." Stefan said.

"What?"

"Klaus came. He took her."

"I'll take care of it." Damon said, hanging up. Suddenly, Tyler fell to the ground in pain.

"Tyler!" Matt called out.

"I don't know if I can hold it off. Get out of here!" Tyler told them.

"Tyler, it'll be okay." Caroline said.

"Go!"

"You've got time. We're almost there, just..."

"It's happening faster." He told them. That was really not good.

"Tyler, it's okay." Caroline said. When he looked up, his eyes were yellow. He ran over to Caroline, but Damon pushed him out of the way. Tyler tried to bite him, then he was suddenly thrown back a few feet.

Damon got up and looked the direction the force had come from. "What would you do without my help?" Maria asked, smiling.

"Thanks. Now we better get out of here." Damon said.

"Damon..." Caroline began.

"I'm fine." Damon told her.

"Get out of here." Tyler warned them.

"Get to the Lockwood cellar. If it held him in, it'll keep him out. If it doesn't... Use these." He handed a pair of wooden bullets to Matt. "It'll buy you a couple seconds. Go. Go!" Caroline and Matt ran off in one direction.

"I'll meet you at the witch house. Do what you have to do." Maria told him. She sped off in the direction of the abandoned house. Damon ran off afterward.

In the woods, Elena was walking with Greta. "Where are we going?"

"This way."

"You're Luka's sister, aren't you? I heard about you. He and your father were looking for you."

"Well, they were wasting their time. I wasn't lost." Greta told her. Elena nearly tripped.

"God, I can't see anything." Suddenly, fire appeared around the area. Elena noticed someone on the ground and ran to her.

"Jenna?" Elena checked and couldn't find a pulse. "Oh, my God. No. Jenna! No!" She looked at Greta. "He killed her? Why? I did everything that he asked." Suddenly, Jenna woke up.

"She's not dead. She's in transition." Greta told her.

I hope Mar and the others can find a way out of this, or we're all in trouble. Elena thought as she looked at her aunt.


	32. Saving Elena (The Sun Also Rises)

At the abandoned witch house, Maria was helping Bonnie and Jeremy look through the grimoires. Unfortunately, they weren't having much luck.

"This is useless." Jeremy said, throwing the current book he was looking through down. "All these grimoires. There has to be something in here to keep Elena from becoming a vampire."

"And we'll keep looking." Bonnie said. "Until the last minute."

"Well, if we don't find something in the next hour or two, then Elena will be dead." Maria pointed out.

"That isn't going to happen." Bonnie told her. "I am not about to give up that easily."

"We better keep looking, then." Jeremy said.

"There has to be a way we can speed this up." Maria said. She focused and one of the spell books came to her.

"I will never get used to how cool that is." Jeremy said. Then Maria felt something.

"Here, look through this." She told them, handing Jeremy the grimoire. "I need to get some air."

Outside, Elijah, Stefan, and Alaric had shown up. Maria stepped out to join them. "So when do we attack?" Alaric asked.

"Elena's death will activate his dormant werewolf side. He'll be vulnerable during the transformation. That's when Bonnie comes in."

"And you're sure Bonnie will survive this?" Stefan asked.

"If she can deliver him to the brink of death, I'll finish the job myself." Elijah told him.

"Did you guys find anything?" Stefan whispered.

"Not yet, but we're working on it." Maria whispered back. Then Stefan's phone rang.

"Damon." He answered. "Cut to the chase. Is the sacrifice happening or not?" Maria listened in.

"It's happening. I tried to stop it, but it got... Complicated."

"We're sticking with the original plan. We're meeting Bonnie right now."

"He's got Jenna, Stefan." Damon told him.

"What?" Maria gasped.

"He got Katherine to lure her out of the house." Damon explained.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Alaric asked.

"He's going to use her as the vampire in the ritual."

"Oh, my god."

"Excuse me, sorry." Maria took the phone out of Stefan's hand. "So, what are we supposed to do now? There's no way we can save both of them."

"You're going to have to try." Damon told them. Then he hung up. Maria threw Stefan's phone back at him.

"Unbelievable." She headed inside.

Downstairs, Bonnie and Jeremy were still going through the grimoires.

"Which one are you reading?" Bonnie asked.

"Emily Bennett's has a section on spells she did for my ancestor Jonathan Gilbert." Jeremy told her.

"Yeah, I think she had a thing for him." Bonnie said.

"Sounds about right." Maria said, entering the room. "Gilbert had a way of charming most women in town."

"There's something on a resuscitative spell she was working on." Jeremy told them.

"I saw that, too. She just didn't explain what it did, exactly." Bonnie said.

"I heard she was working on a spell like that." Maria said. "There were days where she'd practice when she thought everyone was sleeping. But I don't know how the spell works."

"Maybe Jonathan wrote about it in his journals." Jeremy said. "You know, I can have Stefan bring them." They heard something. Alaric appeared. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Elijah and Stefan are upstairs." Alaric said. Maria headed out of the room. "You mind if I have a second with Jeremy?"

"Sure, yeah. Of course." She followed Maria out of the room.

"There's something you need to know." Maria told her.

Outside, the group met. "Why did he take Jenna?" Bonnie asked.

"A punishment for meddling." Elijah said.

"Klaus was going to use Tyler and Caroline but Damon rescued them." Stefan explained.

"Then we need to go. Now. Before Jenna's been sacrificed. I can kill Klaus myself." Bonnie said.

"Bonnie, if you use that much power, you'll be dead. We've already been through this. It's not an option." Stefan said.

"Neither is letting Jenna die." Bonnie pointed out.

"Well, Stefan would agree with you."

"We're going to offer another vampire." Stefan told them. "One that he'll want more. Me."

"No way, Stef. What happens when this is over and Elena finds out?" Maria said. "Maybe I should go instead."

"Maria, it wouldn't work." Stefan pointed out. "He needs to sacrifice a full vampire. You're part witch." She knew he was right. She walked over and hugged him.

"Be careful out there."

"I will." He told her, returning her embrace. The girls headed back inside.

"You going to be okay?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah." Maria said. "I'll be fine. Though it's a lot of pressure to not screw this up."

"I'm with you on that one." Bonnie said. "I'm going to try to find Elena. We need find them so that we can end this." Maria nodded and followed her downstairs.

Nearly half an hour later, John showed up at the house. The group had found Elena's location. "I brought the Gilbert journals. I think I know the spell you're talking about."

"Good, cause we don't have a whole lot of time here." Maria said.

"Where's Damon?" Bonnie asked.

"Upstairs. Alaric wanted to talk to him." Maria closed her eyes for a second.

"He's telling the truth. Good thing, cause I probably would've killed you if you were lying." She told him. A few minutes later, she heard something and ran upstairs.

"Hey, are you okay?" She heard Alaric ask.

"I'm fine." Damon told him. "Well, that's my brother for you. Always cleaning up my messes."

"Could you give us a minute, Ric?" Maria asked. Alaric left. "I know you're concerned about him. So am I."

"It's not going to make a difference, you know."

"But we might both lose someone that's close to us." Maria said. "He's your brother. And in a way, he's sort of become my brother too."

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Damon asked her.

"I'm sure." She looked at him. She had the feeling he was hiding something. "Anyway, we think we may have found something that can save Elena."

They headed downstairs. "We found something in the Gilbert journals." Bonnie said.

"Okay, let's hear it." Maria said.

"Jonathan journalled the story of a mother who called on Emily's services. The woman's baby was sick, dying. Emily cast a spell that would bind a woman's life force with her child." John said. Maria looked concerned. This story felt familiar to her.

"Skip to the save Elena part." Damon said.

"Well, the child died, but the mother's life force flowed through her, restoring her to life." John explained.

"We already know Elena's going to come back to life but she'll be a vampire." Jeremy pointed out.

"Not if her soul remains intact."

"Her soul, really? You're going to put your faith in some act of god mumbo jumbo?" Damon asked.

"I refuse to let Elena become the thing I've spent my life protecting her against. And you can call that god or mystical energy, whatever you want, but yes... I'm putting my faith in it." John told him.

"Just to advocate here, I know you don't like vampires, but they aren't all bad." Maria said. "But I think Elena would like to remain human." She turned to John. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's the only way." Maria nodded and headed upstairs.

"Are you going to be okay?" She turned around. She hadn't expected Damon to follow her.

"Yeah, I know I can do this." Maria told him.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Damon said. "I might not be an expert on emotions, but you seem to be stressed about this."

"Cause if this blows up on us, we'll all be in danger." Maria pointed out. "It's a lot of pressure."

"No matter what happens, we'll get through this." Damon said. She noticed him wince slightly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." But Maria knew he was lying. She decided not to ask, since they had more important things to handle right now.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Bonnie asked, coming out of the house.

"Where are Jeremy and Alaric?" Maria asked.

"It's too dangerous to get them involved." Bonnie told her. "We better get there before it's too late to stop him."

It took what felt like a long time before the group saw a ring of fire on the ground. Maria was at the back of the group, knowing she'd have to stay hidden. "Looks like his plan didn't work." Damon whispered.

"Still, he's not going to get away with this." Maria whispered back. "Go with the others. I'll be there when it's time."

Stefan was still on the ground, with a stake in his back. He looked over and saw Elena's now dead aunt nearby. "I'm so sorry."

"Are they going to kill him?" Elena asked. He nodded.

"It's time." Elena walked over to the alter by herself. Klaus joined her. "Thank you, Elena."

"Go to hell." She told him. She stood still as he bit her and drank her blood. A few seconds later, she fell to the ground, dead. All Stefan could do was watch. Suddenly, everything seemed to happen at once.

Bonnie showed up and used her powers to throw him to the ground. Even though he couldn't see her, Stefan knew Maria was helping her from a safe distance. He could hear her join in with Bonnie. Damon rushed over and killed the witch that was helping him.

"You were dead!" Klaus yelled. Bonnie kept using the spell, knowing that both of their powers were weakening him.

"Elena." Stefan got up and turned to Damon. "I need you to get her out of here."

"What about you?" Damon asked.

"I'm not leaving until he's dead. Go!" Stefan told him. Damon got Elena and left.

Finally, the girls stopped chanting. Maria headed to a nearby tree to watch. Elijah had gone over to Klaus. "Elijah?"

"Hello, brother." Elijah put his hand in his brother's chest. "In the name of our family, Nicklaus..."

"I didn't bury them at sea! Their bodies are safe. If you kill me, you'll never find them." He said.

"Elijah! Don't listen to him." Stefan called.

"I can take you to them. I give you my word... Brother."

"Do it and I'll take you both out." Bonnie said.

"You'll die." Elijah pointed out.

"But I won't." Maria said. She started chanting again. The group turned as she walked closer to them. The flames were going even higher than before, surrounding the two Originals. Stefan turned to Bonnie.

"Do something."

"I can't." Bonnie told him. "It's like I can't move!" That's when it hit her. "Oh my God. She's channeling me." She realized. Maria continued chanting and used her powers to take Klaus down. By the time the flames cleared, Elijah had vanished and Klaus was on the ground, motionless.

"Is he…" Bonnie asked as Stefan headed over to him.

"Yeah, he's gone." Stefan said. "She did it." They both turned to Maria, who seemed to be having trouble standing. "You okay?"

"Yeah, but I feel kinda weak." Maria told him. Suddenly, she collapsed. He caught her.

"Is she okay?" Bonnie asked, worried for her friend.

"She will be." Stefan told her. "Channeling all that energy must've weakened her. But it can't kill her since she's half vampire."

"So, now what?"

"We wait for her to wake up." Stefan said. "Let's head back to Elena's." They left, carrying Maria with them.

Damon brought Elena back to her house and put her on the couch in the living room. "If you come back as a vampire, I'll stake you myself." He said. Jeremy and Alaric showed up then.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know yet." Damon told him.

"What about Jenna?" Alaric asked. Damon looked at him. "No."

"I'm sorry, Jeremy." Damon told him. Suddenly, Elena gasped and woke up "Elena!"

"What happened?" She asked.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine." She told them. "Is it over? Is Klaus…"

"Yeah, he's dead." Stefan told her, walking into the room. He was holding Maria, who was still unconscious. Bonnie entered shortly after him.

"What happened to her?" Damon asked, concerned.

"She channeled me and the spirits in order to stop him." Bonnie explained.

"She's only unconscious. She should wake up soon." Stefan told him. He set Maria down carefully. He noticed her hand twitch.

Suddenly, she woke up. "What happened?"

"You fainted." Stefan told her.

"You feeling okay?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, I have a small headache, but I'm fine." Maria told them. "How's Elena?"

"She's okay." Jeremy said, taking his sister's hand. "Looks like it worked."

The next morning, Elena was in her room, looking at the pictures of her family. Jeremy came in. "I'm almost ready." She told him.

"Take your time." Jeremy said. He handed her a letter. "John wanted me to give you this. And this." She recognized John's ring.

"Jeremy, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that you've lost so many people." Elena said.

"I still have you." He told her. They embraced each other. Jeremy left and Elena sat by the window and started reading John's letter.

A few hours later, the group was at the cemetery. Elena walked over and put a rose on Jenna and John's graves. She stopped in front of her parents' tombstone and placed the remaining two roses on them. Then she felt someone touch her shoulder and turned around.

Maria gave her a sad smile. "You're strong enough to get through this, Elena." She told her. She noticed Alaric placing a rose on Jenna's grave. Elena got up walked over to the rest of the group. Maria looked at Jenna's grave. She hoped she would be okay, even in the afterlife.

She was getting ready to go back and join the group, when she overheard the guys talking. "Tyler Lockwood bit me." She heard Damon say. "It's actually more of a nip, really, but there it is."

"We'll find something. A cure." Stefan told him.

"There's no cure, Stefan."

"We kept Elena human, right? We found the way when there was no way." Stefan told him. "Hey. I will do this."

"You want to do something for me? Keep this from Elena." Damon told him. "Last thing she needs is another grave to mourn." He walked away. Stefan watched as he left. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around.

"Stefan."

"You heard, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Maria said. "But there's been too much death around here. I am not going to let him die."

"How can you promise something like that?" Stefan asked.

"Because I know there's a way to save him. And I swear, I will not let him die." Maria told him.

**A/N: Can you believe this story is almost over? There's at least two or three more chapters, though. And don't worry, because I'm planning to write a sequel to this story. Anyway, what did you think of Maria's revelation? Will she be able to save Damon? **


	33. The Cure

At Bonnie's place, Maria came into the room holding a bag. Everything was right where she left it the night she dropped it off. "Hey."

"Hey." Bonnie said. "So, how does it work again?"

"It's easy. We just do the spell and that's it." Maria said.

"Are you sure it'll work?"

"Of course I am. I've done this before." Maria said. The two of them held hands and did the spell.

"Okay. If that's everything…"

"I'm sure." Maria told her. "Hey, thanks for everything, Bonnie."

"It was the least I could do to help a friend." Bonnie told her. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Look, I know you don't like Damon, but…"

"I know, Maria." Bonnie said. She turned and looked at her. "I see the way you guys look at each other. It's a lot like how Jer looks at me."

"Speaking of, how's he doing?"

"He's in shock. They both are." Bonnie said. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"It's fine." Maria told her. "Besides, I'll be back soon. I can never stay away from my home for too long." Bonnie walked over and embraced her.

"Thanks for helping me when I didn't have anyone to turn to."

"It was nothing. Really." Maria said. "I'll come back as soon as I can." She picked up her backpack and headed out the door. On her way, she decided to stop by Elena's to see how she was.

When she got there, the door opened and she was face to face with her. "Hi."

"Hey."

"I'm sorry, were you about to head out? I can…"

"No, it's fine." Elena said. "Uh, do you know if there's anything going on with Damon?"

"Why? Was he over here?" Maria asked. She didn't know if she should tell her or not. On one hand, she deserved to know what was happening, but on the other hand, it really wasn't her place to tell her.

"He was here this morning." Elena told her. "He wanted to apologize for…you know."

Maria realized how serious it was. "Well, maybe he felt really bad about the whole thing. You know what it's like. Sometimes, things don't work out the way they're supposed to."

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"Fine." Maria lied. "Look, I have to go now. I'll see you later." She got up and headed over to the Boarding House as fast as she could.

She knew there would be problems the minute she stepped in. And she was right. She found Stefan and Damon on the ground in the living room. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Get off of me."

"You're not doing this." Stefan told him.

"You know what happened to Rose, Stefan."

"I don't care. You're not dying today."

"What happened?" Maria asked Stefan.

"He just…find his ring, okay?" Stefan managed to call over to her. He managed to push Damon into the shadows of the room.

Maria looked around and found the ring near the window. She picked up and walked over to him. "Please. There's been enough death around here for a long time." She told him, sliding the ring back on his finger. "We won't let that happen." He looked at her in surprise.

"You know."

"I heard you guys in the cemetery the other day." Maria said.

"Look, there's nothing that can be done about it."

"That's where you're wrong."

"She knows how to cure a wolf bite." Stefan told him.

"But I can't do anything if you try another stunt like that again." Maria said. "Head back upstairs. I need to talk with Stefan about something." Knowing better than to argue, he left the room.

"Sorry you had to see that."

"He's really depressed about it, isn't he?" Maria asked.

"Seems like it." Stefan told her. "Hey, if you're sure about doing this…"

"Of course I'm sure." Maria said. "I'm not going to let this happen. But I'm also going to need help."

"What else can we do?" Stefan asked.

"Well, for a start, we should probably have someone keep an eye on him so he doesn't try that again." Maria said.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"Of course I do, Stef. I always have. But that's not the only reason I'm doing this." Maria told him. "I wasn't able to save Rose. But I know I can save Damon."

"We're going to need to tell the others, aren't we?"

"Probably." Maria said. Stefan called Alaric.

"Sorry, you've reached somebody who's currently not operating." Was the first response he got.

"I need your help." Stefan told him.

"Well, you must have me confused with somebody else. You see, I'm not allowed to help, just idly sit by while my girlfriend gets sacrificed on an altar of blood."

"Snap out of it! We have more important things to worry about!" He heard Maria saying.

"Damon's dying." Stefan told him.

"What?"

"Tyler Lockwood bit him. We don't have much time."

"What do you need?"

"We need someone to make sure he doesn't attempt to kill himself again." Maria told him.

"I'll be right there." The line went dead before Stefan hung up.

"I should go and let Elena know what's going on."

"I'll make sure nothing happens while you're gone." Maria told him. She headed upstairs and went into Damon's room. She didn't see him at first. "Okay, this isn't funny. I know you're in…you're right behind me, aren't you?"

"Good guess." She turned around.

"Don't do that again. I thought you had already died. Do you have any idea how bad you scared me just now?"

"I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know that. You never mean it, but sometimes, it just happens." Maria said. "How are you doing?"

"I think it's getting worse." Damon told her.

"This might be uncomfortable, but can I see it?" Maria asked him. Reluctantly, he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt so she could get a good look at the mark. It looked infected, but not too bad. "It's really not that bad." She told him. "Since it's only in the early stages, I think I can get rid of it."

"How long will that take?"

"Not long, but it won't exactly be pleasant." She explained. He looked at her, then he was in pain. She helped him get over to the bed and did a quick spell to try to make it hurt less.

"Need any help?" She turned and saw that Alaric had shown up.

"Thank goodness you're here."

"How's it going?"

"Okay, I can help, but it started to effect him a few minutes ago." Maria told him. "Can you watch over him until I get back? There's something I want to check." She got up and left the room. She couldn't help but feel concerned about Damon.

At the park, Stefan found Elena with some of her friends. "Hey."

"Hey. What's up?"

"Can we talk?" They walked away from the rest of the group.

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"I hate to tell you this, but you need to know. The other night, when Damon was trying to help Tyler, he got bitten."

"What?" Elena looked concerned. "Oh, God. He came to the house this morning and tried to apologize. I practically slammed the door in his face."

"Wait." Stefan grabbed her arm as she tried to leave. She stopped. "It isn't over yet. Maria knows how to heal him, but she needs help. But I'm worried she might be a little unstable when it comes to this."

"What do you expect?" Elena pointed out. "Her friend died from the same thing she's trying to save Damon from. I'd be determined, too."

"She might be trying to push her emotions back, but she's struggling."

"So how can we help?" Elena asked.

"All we can do is be there for them."

Maria got back to the Boarding House a few minutes later. She found Alaric in the living room. "Hey."

"How is he?"

"He's resting. Nothing else happened so far."

"Good to know."

"Are you sure you can do this?" Alaric asked her.

"Yes. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Maria said.

"You just seem a little…off."

"I'm just worried, okay? I've lost a lot of important people in my life. I don't need to add to the list."

"He needs you, Maria. You're the only person here who can help him." Alaric told her. He got up. "You can do this." He walked out of the house.

Maria was up in Damon's room, watching him, when she heard the door downstairs open. She walked into the living room. "Hey."

"How is he?" Elena asked.

"He's still here if that's what you mean." Maria told her.

"Okay, that's good to know." Stefan said. "How's it look?"

"It's not as bad as I thought."

"So how do you know how to cure this, anyway?" Elena asked.

"A friend was bitten by accident once, so I saved her." Maria told her. "I used some of my botany research to come up with something to help. There was something else I had to do, too, though you're not going to want to be there for that."

She glanced upstairs. "I'm going to go check on him before…"

"We'll come, too."

"Alright." Maria said. They headed back up to Damon's room. "Mind if I see him for a minute before…"

"Sure, no problem." Elena said. Maria walked into Damon's room. He had woken up, though he was still lying down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"I know when you're lying, Damon." Maria said, getting frustrated.

"Alright, I don't know how much longer I can hang on." Damon admitted. "If I get through this…"

"You will get through this. Just trust me." Maria said, taking his hand.

"I wouldn't blame them if they decided not to help."

"You're our friend, Damon." They turned as Elena and Stefan came into the room. "I might still be mad at you, but I know all of us would hate it if you died."

"Okay, I think we should get this started." Maria told them.

A few minutes later, Maria was sitting with Damon. Stefan was on her other side. "Okay, what should I do?" Elena asked.

"Could you go down and get blood bags? I think we're going to need them." Maria said. "After that, get out of here."

"What?"

"Just trust me, okay?" Elena left the room.

Maria looked at the bite. It didn't look any worse than earlier, but she could tell infection would spread soon. "Okay, there's a small glass tube in the front pocket."

"Got it." Maria took the item, then looked at it.

"Uh, Stef, this is a vervain needle. Try the other pocket." Stefan handed her a small tube. "Yeah, that's it." She turned to Damon. "How are you holding up?"

"I feel okay, for now." Maria sensed he was just as nervous as she was. Still, she was determined not to let anything happen to him.

"Okay, I'm ready." Maria said. Elena returned with the blood bags. "I'm going to need you to both leave the room. This isn't going to be pretty."

"I've seen a lot. I think I can handle it."

"Stefan, trust me. Go." Maria said. They both left the room and went downstairs. "Okay, this might hurt a little."

Downstairs, Elena and Stefan were sitting in the living room. Well, Stefan was sitting. Elena was pacing. "I'm worried about him." She admitted after a few minutes.

"So am I, but I trust Maria, no matter what." Stefan told her.

"How can you be so calm about all this?" Elena asked. "If this doesn't work…"

"It will. Look, before we parted ways after meeting with Lexi, Maria said she was going to some town to study medicine and herbal remedies. I trust her. It's not like she's going to hurt him."

"You're right, maybe it's nothing. It's just, I feel like it's too soon, a lot of people have already di…" Suddenly, they heard a scream come from upstairs. Stefan and Elena looked at each other.

"I'm going up there."

"No, you're not." Stefan said. "Look, this is no time to argue. Get out of here, fast." Elena nodded, understanding. She headed out the door. Stefan went upstairs to find Maria next to Damon. He had passed out.

"What happened?" He asked. Then he noticed Damon's wrist. The wolf bite was gone. Maria was holding the glass vial. She poured a small amount of its contents into a teacup.

"He'll be okay, Stefan." Maria said. She set it to the side. "He needs to rest. Make sure he drinks this when he wakes up. It'll get rid of any remaining symptoms and keep it from coming back." She pinched the area between her eyebrows.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, just took a lot more out of me than I thought." Maria told him. She went into the living room.

A few hours later, Elena had come back. "How is he?"

"He's fine." Maria told her. "Just resting." They went up to his room. Elena noticed the bite mark was gone.

"Thanks for saving him."

"I would've done it for anyone." Maria pointed out. "He might not remember much for a second, but he'll be okay."

"So what was that stuff you gave to him once the mark was removed?" Stefan asked, appearing in the hallway as they left.

"It was an old herbal remedy I've been working on specifically for this purpose." Maria said. "After I'd healed my friend, she began having repercussions from the bite, so I created it to prevent the symptoms from coming back. It also works if the infection's really bad."

"And it worked?" Stefan asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't have done this if it hadn't."

"Thank you, Maria. I don't know what I would've…"

"You don't have to thank me." Maria said. "I would've done it for anyone that needed it."

"So, where are you going now?" Elena asked.

"To let my other friends know everything's okay." Maria said. "I promised I wouldn't meet with them until everything was over."

"How long will you be gone?"

"A few days, maybe a week. But I'll come back as soon as I can." Maria told them.

A few hours later, Damon woke up in his room. Elena had walked in and Stefan was in the doorway. "How are you feeling?" Stefan asked.

"I feel normal. It's like it disappeared."

"Maria healed you." Elena explained. "She seemed a little weak, but she's okay."

"Where is she, anyway?" Stefan and Elena looked at each other. "What is it?"

"She wanted me to give this to you." Elena told him, handing him a note. "She said something about meeting with a few friends. But she's glad you're okay. We all are."

She left the room and Stefan followed shortly afterward. Damon read the note that Maria left:

Damon

I'm sorry for taking off like this, but I made a promise to a friend that I'd stop by once all the chaos here died down. I wish I could be with the rest of you guys right now, but I always take my promises seriously. Don't worry about me, I'm always careful about travelling. I promise that I'll be back here, at home, as soon as I can. Until then, promise you won't try anything stupid like that again. Hope to see you soon.

Maria

Damon looked at the note for a few seconds before placing it down on top of his dresser. He looked out the window, hoping that Maria would be okay. Somehow, he knew he'd see her again.

**A/N: Okay, there's only one chapter left in this story, but I'm beginning to write the sequel already. Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far. I'll try to get the next one and the sequel story up as soon as I can. In the meantime, review and let me know what you think.**


	34. Epilogue: Returning and Remembering

"Hey, guys!" Caroline said. She came over and sat with the others at the Grill. "You won't believe what happened last night."

"Don't tell me you had that dream, too, Caroline." Bonnie said.

"How did you know?"

"It happened to all of us." Elena said. "We were all there."

"How is that even possible?" Tyler asked. Caroline had asked him to meet her at the Grill with the others. They were surprisingly okay with it.

"Dude, by now you should know almost anything's possible." Jeremy pointed out. "Then again, I was the only one who wasn't there." Bonnie put an arm around him. The two of them had started dating.

"We know who's responsible for it though." Stefan said. "I only know one person who can use that ability on more than one person at a time."

"It's her, isn't it?" Elena asked. Bonnie smiled.

"I was getting that feeling, too." She told her.

"Okay, I'm still a little lost." Tyler said.

"I'll explain everything later." Caroline told him.

"Hang on." Bonnie said. "Now that I think about it, Jeremy wasn't the only one missing."

"I noticed it, too." Stefan told her.

"Maybe she can only do it with a certain number of people at a time." Jeremy said. "Am I right?"

"Well, it's true that even normal witches have trouble holding a spell on more than one person, depending on whatever spell they're using." Bonnie told them.

"That means he doesn't know." Elena realized. The group looked to each other.

"Hang on, if we tell him directly, he won't believe us." Jeremy pointed out.

"I know that. But I still think someone should go talk to him." Elena said.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Thanks, but I can handle it, Stefan." Elena told him.

"Just go already." Caroline said. Elena left the group.

It didn't take long for Elena to get to the Boarding House. She headed inside. In the week that Maria had been gone, everyone noticed a change in Damon. He didn't really head out much unless it was to work on a new case or to try and find out where Katherine was hiding. Ever since the ritual, they hadn't seen or heard from her, but didn't want to take the chance, either.

Elena went upstairs and found him in his room. "Hey."

"What brings you here?" He asked.

"We've all been worried about you lately." Elena said. "Even Caroline, and that's not normal."

"I'll admit that blondie's grown on me."

"Look, she's going to come back." Elena told him. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again soon enough."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Some things you just know, Damon. Don't give up on her. I know she wouldn't give up on you and neither would the rest of us." Elena told him. She turned and started to leave.

"Hang on." She stopped and turned around. "Are we okay? I mean, after what happened before the sacrifice and everything, I wouldn't blame you if you still…" He was surprised when she walked over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah. I think we're okay." Elena told him. She left the room.

Damon watched as she left. As soon as she was gone, he started to feel tired. He laid back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Damon?" He heard a voice ask. He looked around and noticed he was in some kind of field. Then he looked down and noticed his clothes. He was dressed as though he was still in 1864. At first he didn't see anyone else because it was slightly foggy.

Then he saw her. Standing exactly across from him, was a girl with long, brown hair, blue eyes, and she was wearing a green dress appropriate for that time. She looked a lot like Maria. "I remember now. You're that girl I saved, right?" Damon asked.

"That's right." She told him. "Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier. My abilities can be limited sometimes."

"Don't worry about it."

"I knew you'd find me again, Damon." Maria said. "Or was it the other way around?" She sighed. "I guess it really doesn't matter how you phrase it." Then she glanced around.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"This won't hold up much longer." She told him. "This might last a few more minutes, but I don't think I can keep it up."

"I never did thank you for saving me that time."

"You saved me first, remember?" She pointed out. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be here now."

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course you will." She said. "I've always been there, Damon. I always will be."

Damon woke up and found himself back in his room. "That was you, wasn't it?" He asked. He looked and saw Maria standing in the doorway. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. Sorry I didn't let you know earlier, but Bonnie asked me to spend the night with her the first night I got back."

"You were that girl from the ball, weren't you?" He asked. "And I remember saving you from that fire."

"I knew you'd figure it out." Maria told him, smiling.

"No wonder I didn't remember at first."

"What can I say? Somehow, I thought this look would be more modern." Maria touched her long hair, though it was still shorter than it had been in the past.

"So, Mary Bennett, huh?"

"For some reason, I could never stand my name back then." She told him.

"So you changed it."

"Emily knew my parents." Maria said. "It turned out my mother was part Italian on one side. At first I used her maiden name, but after a while, changed it to Protezione since I thought it'd fit better."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing."

"Sorry I left on such short notice."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand that you take your promises seriously. Trust me, my brother's the same way."

"Why do you think I'm friends with him?" Maria pointed out.

"Anyway, what are you doing back here? I thought you'd spend at least another week with your other friends."

"What else can I say? I got home sick." Maria told him, walking into the room. "My friends are great and all, but Mystic Falls is where I belong."

"Thanks for healing me the other day."

"It was nothing, really." She sat down next to him on the bed.

"I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't."

"Apparently not much." Maria said. "Elena called and told me you were avoiding the rest of the group."

"In my defense, I was helping Liz with a case." Damon said. "Though she's been acting weird, as though she might know something."

"Oh, that's right." Maria remembered. "Don't worry. We'll work it out with her, I know it."

"Why did you decide to save me, anyway?" Damon asked her. "I mean, I know we're friends and all, but it left you a little weaker."

"Hey, I can handle going a full day without my witch powers." Maria told him. "Not that I needed them at the time, anyway."

"Still, why would you risk it to save me? I know you'd do it for any of the others, but why…"

"Because I love you, Damon." Maria said. "I think I always did." He looked at her. For once, he had no idea what to say.

"So it really was you all along. How could I not see that…"

"Hey, at least you figured it out." Maria said, cutting him off again. "That's all that matters." Then she leaned over and kissed him passionately. He was surprised at first, then, slowly and gently, he kissed her back. She ran her hand through his hair as they kissed. They both finally knew that they belonged here.

**A/N: Okay, don't get mad at me for that scene between Damon and Elena. In this story/series, they are just friends. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. I should be posting the first chapter of the sequel up soon. It's called Katherine's Revenge. Anyway, review and let me know what you think.**


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